Vexx: Shadow Puppets
by Gina Trujillo
Summary: Set years after the events of the game. With a new threat rising above Dragonreach, Vexx is given little choice but to defend his people. This foe is more than meets the eye, and Vexx will need more than just his Talons to come out on top.
1. Chapter 1

_I'm rather miffed at the fact that there is no category for just any ol' game they don't have a sub-cat for. I mean, really... TETRIS HAS A SUB-CAT?! 0.o Anyway, this is a Vexx fanfic. There is nothing cross-over about it, and I really hope that doesn't get it deleted. I'd love another option, but it seems I don't have one._

_This Vexx fanfic was inspired by a dream. So y'all can't blame me for the invention of the fan characters in here, because that's the way I dreamed them! lol. Seriously, this whole first chapter was the events of a dream I had, from the perspective of Vexx. Otherwise this whole ordeal would never have been conceived of in my warped little mind. Let me know what you think of it._

_On another note, this is set years in the future of the story, after Vexx's return from the Shadow Realm, when everything is returning back to something that resembles normal, peaceful life in Overwood. Details of what happened in between the game and this story will be filled in as we go.  
_

Vexx (insert better title here)

By Gina Trujillo

Chapter One

A light breeze swept over the lush grasses and cool waters of the forest just outside the village of Overwood, and carried on it was were the sweet scents of summer blossoms. A group of young girls were running about near a stream, giggling as children do while they skipped along and danced with one another. Carried upon huge wings came the harold of this serene scene's end. The children shrieked in terror as a huge shadow fell over them, followed by a demonic howl that drowned out all other sound. Then it had passed over them, for these girls were not the target of the winged creature.

Over the village the beast flew, sending more piercing howls and cries across the air. The village dwellers began scattering, come to hide, some to take up weapons against the beast. One man, a tawny coated male by name of Gly, was quick to find a man he knew could help, although he was unsure if he could reach him in time. Running over the hills as fast as his legs could spur him, Gly fled Overwood.

Deep within the forest, a small house was nestled, secluded and hard to find, should one not be paying attention. Gly had been there many times before, and the way was well known to him. Before the house was even fully in view, the name of the man who lived there was already being frantically called by Gly.

"VEXX! Vexx, where are you?"

Like a flash of lightning, the warrior guardian of Overwood was at Gly's side. He spoke not a word, but the expression in his eyes demanded an explanation as to why he had been called.

"The village," Gly gasped as he tried to breath. Vexx set a heavy gauntlet on his shoulder to help steady him. Others may have been frightened by this, but Gly was not afraid of the potentially lethal Astani War Talons which Vexx was condemned to wear until the end of his days. Many found Gly's lack of fear to be pure madness.

"There's a monster! Maybe a dragon! You have to help!" Before Gly could even finish what he was saying, Vexx was gone. The warrior charged back toward the village, rocketing himself forward one giant leap at a time with the power of the War Talons. The sounds of battle reached his ears quickly, growing ever louder. The looming form of the winged beast suddenly rose up in the sky, gliding over Vexx's head. Clutched in its huge claws was a young woman, screaming in fright. Vexx skidded in the gravel, eyes wide and mouth agape. He'd never seen a creature such as this one before. It wasn't like the Skinx, and yet it demanded the same sort of caution in the sense that it was an aerial attacker. Much smaller than the Leviathan, but just as frightening, if not more so.

The frozen moment passed as the creature rocketed off towards the point of sunrise. Vexx quickly regained his wits and made chase. The creature was headed for a cliff and beyond it there was only a small patch of land down below. Even that was only a space of twenty paces at best before the land dropped off into the clouded gray nothingness that surrounded most of the lands of Astara. Vexx knew that he had to catch the monster quickly, or else it would fly beyond his reach.

Fly…

A sudden idea hitting him, Vexx turned sharply and charged to the top of a nearby hill that overlooked the abyss of clouds beyond the cliff. There, lying amongst the grass, was a large, flat, yellow disk with an emblem carved upon it. Without much pause, Vexx charged over this. By the ancient powers which had been granted him, the magical disk spun him into the air. Huge wings spread from his arms and the warrior soared out over the clouds to intercept the monster.

The woman in the beast's claws had long since fainted from fright, leaving the creature to focus on other things. This was tragic, as Vexx may have gone unnoticed for longer otherwise. Sadly, the monster was now back on-guard and spotted the new adversary. With an ear-piercing shriek, the beast twisted about and doubled back inland, hoping to lose the potentially serious threat to its mission.

Vexx growled angrily. His wings were not nearly as nimble, and had an extremely snort limit to how long they could be used. Turning as quickly as he could, Vexx followed the creature.

The beast turned its long neck about to see the furred warrior on his borrowed wings and watched as he slowly lost altitude. With as sound akin to a laugh, the beast casually circled about, deciding not to bother with what it viewed as a feeble rescue attempt. As it had planned, it started to head back out over the cliff side.

Seeing the creature was turning again, Vexx snorted in frustration and turned to follow as best he could. The trees were becoming ever closer now, and he was _not_ traveling at what could be considered a slow speed. A wrong move and he would end up tangled within the branches, and have a few bruises he'd feel later on. Luckily, he could avoid this, as there was a clearing below. Vexx aimed for it, diving below the tree branches. Three times his own height from the ground and still descending, Vexx kept his gaze forward, at the cliff just beyond the thinning trees. He was sure he would make it before he would hit the ground. Just a bit farther…

The monster came into view then, happily flying away, content that it had lost its pursuer. A smirk reached Vexx's lips, knowing he would catch up if the monster didn't notice him now…

_CRACK!_

A jolting pain shot through Vexx's shield arm as a wing collided with a tree he'd drifted a touch too close to. The force of the first impact sent the wing upon his sword arm skidding into the ground. Helpless to stop it now, Vexx spun through the air. His wings folded upon themselves and disappeared. Vexx met with the ground, tumbling across it towards the cliff… and over the edge of it.

Moments later, Vexx found himself upon the flat of his back, waiting for the stinging pain to subside and for his breathing to return to normal. Slowly, he blinked his eyes open. He'd been lucky enough to not fall to his death off the second cliff, but the pain he was currently in made luck seem a very vindictive thing.

Up above him, a face peeked over the edge of the cliff. "Vexx! You alright?"

Vexx's brow furrowed at the question. He had, after all, just fallen off a cliff. How alright could he possibly be? However, upon realizing it was Gly who'd asked said question, all need for logic behind it was dismissed.

"I'll be right down, stay there!" Gly called.

Vexx waved a hand in a lethargic way that could have possibly been taken as a sign of agreement, but much about Vexx was very vague.

Gly quickly headed for a spot where stairs and ladders had been set up so one could reach the lower ledge. Much too soon for the liking of Vexx, Gly was at his side. While only a handful of summers separated the two in age, Gly was a hopelessly immature hero-worshipper who bordered on stalker at times. There were good reasons behind Vexx allowing the annoying man to live, although most of them would escape him on a bad day. Chiefly it was because Gly was of the same race as him, and their numbers were too few already. Perhaps it also worked in Gly's favor that he was one of the very few who did not have a certain degree of fear for the Astani War Talons, and so was a man who would dare try and befriend Vexx. (At times, however, this also seemed just cause to kill him.)

"That was amazing! I saw most of it." Gly looked out to the quickly vanishing beast as it flapped off into the mist. "But is still escaped?" Gly asked, disbelieving, as his gaze shifted back to Vexx. "You at least wounded it, right? Or you made it release the girl?"

Vexx raised a brow at him, wondering how it was that, for having seen 'most' of what happened, Gly was clueless as to what really had happened.

"Well?" Gly pressed him for and answer.

Vexx replied by slowly lifting a hand with a single choice finger pointed upwards.

Gly took this hint and pressed his lips tightly shut as if to prevent any words from escaping of their own will. Silent for once, he offered out a hand to help Vexx to his feet. A huge gauntlet grasped it, and Vexx was once again inwardly amazed as not even the slightest hint of fear showed in Gly's expression. The man was crazy, and that in itself was enough to warrant a small degree of respect from Vexx.

Upon reaching the top of the cliff, Vexx and Gly found that half the village had chased the monster and were now gathered as if awaiting the arrival of their warrior.

"No luck?" someone asked.

Gly shook his head, "It escaped."

The villagers all whispered to each other and exchanged worried glances.

"That was Kiri it took," someone spoke out, "The daughter of Karik."

Vexx snorted in disgust at the mention of this name. There had always been tension between him and Karik, the leader of Overwood's people. This was chiefly because, while Vexx had risked his life to free his race and destroy Dark Yabu, it was Karik who the people chose as a leader in the end. The people feared the Astani War Talons, and this was the reason Vexx was kept an outsider. This was neither the fault of Karik nor Vexx, and yet there was a certain amount of tension and hate that each harbored towards the other.

"The beast wore the mark that is painted upon the floating fortress," a warrior woman spoke, "The one that recently took anchor in Dragonreach."

"I knew it was trouble," a shifty eyed man responded.

"Someone must save poor Kiri!" An old man added with urgency.

All eyes turned to Vexx. Partly shocked, partly expecting this, the silent warrior rolled his eyes with a sigh, shook his head and started back towards his home.

"Whoa! Wait!" Gly piped up, "Waitwaitwaitwaitwait! What're- where are you going? You have to help!"

Vexx paused to look back over his shoulder, a brow raised as he wondered by he should even consider it. Already there were whisperings sweeping over the crowd, and the painful bite of gossip would return to him in time, after it swept through Overwood. People talking of his refusal to help would farther tarnish the already wavering trust the villagers had placed in him. With a suppressed sigh, Vexx recalled once more that, like it or not, he was the sworn defender of Overwood, just as his grandfather had been before. It was his duty to defend the people. His people.

A whisper from not far off caught Vexx's ear. "He couldn't handle the monster on familiar ground, much less-"

The man's words gave way to a choking sound as Vexx seized his throat with one metal-clad hand. Baring his canines, the warrior pulled his free hand back to strike the face of the frightened offender.

"Vexx!" Gly shouted at him, stepping in the way. The Astani War Talon stopped only an acorn's distance from Gly's face. Yet he showed no fear. "Let him go!" The force in the young man's voice was so different from anything Vexx had ever heard from him before, as Gly was typically happy (if not whiny) and never spoke out harshly to anyone. Vexx's eyes locked with Gly's in slight confusion and curiosity.

"Let… him… go," Gly insisted quietly, not a hint of fright showing in him.

Vexx looked past Gly, down his own arm to the face of his terrified captive. With a growl, he released the man in a fashion that caused the man to bare tiny cuts upon his neck in the days to come.

"Now, are you going to help or not?" Gly asked as Vexx backed away a few paces, "Because if you're not planing on saving her, then… then I will!" He stated boldly.

With a brow raised, Vexx smirked and snorted, his shoulders shaking a bit in the process. This was the closest thing to laughing Gly had yet seen him do.

"Oh, now, don't think I won't," Gly boasted.

Vexx side-stepped and motioned with both hands for Gly to walk past, the smirk still transfixed on his face. This came as a bit of a shock to Gly. Still, he squared his shoulders. "Fine! Just watch me," he strode past Vexx confidentially.

Still greatly amused, Vexx followed after _him_ for a change. There was no way he was about to miss Gly's first attempt at being a 'hero.'


	2. Chapter 2

Here's a chapter that was no in the dream that inspired this. I had to make a bridge for the gap between events my dream showed me.

Chapter Two

The floating fortress was far larger than any even Vexx had before seen. Most of the land of Dragonreach was covered in its dark shadow. From the ground, it was impossible to see the fortress set atop the mass of floating rock now making harbor above the skeleton-scattered desert. What was clear to see was the very large, strange emblem upon the underbelly of the landmass. Intricately carved and painted, the round emblem perfectly matched the one found on the dragon's breast. There was also a long crack along part of the underbelly, gaping like a huge mouth.

Gly's neck was tilted back almost far as it could go as he gazed straight up at this. He whistled low. "This may prove more difficult than expected," he muttered, then half-glanced over his shoulder.

Standing confidentially, as Gly knew he would be, was Vexx. The warrior smirked and crossed his arms, nodding his head up towards the fortress. Perhaps this was his way of encouraging Gly, but it mostly served as a dare. He then stepped aside and found a place to sit and watch.

Taking a deep breath, Gly slipped the coiled rope from over his shoulder. He tested the weight of the grappling hook on the end. Slowly at first, Gly began to swing the rope. The metal hook hummed at it sliced through the air, gathering more and more speed by the moment. Gly's golden eyes narrowed upon his target above. With a loud cry, Gly released the hook. The metal claw sailed into the aim, pulling the rope after it. Still, even the confused gravity of Astara was unavoidable to the metal object, and it suddenly turned about to come back to the ground.

"AHHHHHHH!" Gly screamed, scrambling out of the way just before the hook made a nice dent in the sand where he'd previously been standing. A sound followed that took Gly by surprise and he needed a small moment to comprehend the fact that he was really hearing it.

Vexx was laughing… a rather deep laugh with something almost evil about the edges of it. Normally, Gly would have been excited to actually hear him laugh. However, given the situation, Vexx was laughing _at_ him, and that warranted a usual response.

"Shut up!" Gly snapped in annoyance. He took up the rope again in a huffy manner and began the process over. The grappling hook took three flights more, and each time, Gly was sent scrambling out of the way as it crashed back down. The second time this happened, Vexx was gripping his sides and laughing. However, it started to get old quickly and only small chuckles were his response then.

"What?" Gly snapped at him at length, "I suppose you could do better?"

Naturally, Vexx was not about to turn down this challenge, taking up the rope. He swung the grappling hook quickly. The hum of the metal rang out even louder than the last times as it gathered more speed than before. Small fibers of the rope spit off in against the sharp fingers of the War Talons, but Vexx didn't seem to notice this. Finally, he let the hook fly. The rope trailed after it and right out of Vexx's grasp. There came a full _'thunk'_sound as the hook met with the smooth underside of the fortress and bounced off, having nothing to grip on to. It fell back to the ground and buried itself in the hot sand.

Vexx slowly turned around, smirking at Gly as if he'd known this would happen all along. After a moment of staring in disbelief, Gly regained his composure. "Minor set-back," he said, "Just a minor set back!" He then darted after his grappling hook, rambling about getting a longer rope and looking for a place where the hook could grab on easier.

Vexx rolled his eyes and headed off in the opposite direction. Just as he knew he would be, Gly was soon right behind him, asking where he was going. As always, Vexx gave no reply.

So Gly followed as Vexx headed up the spine of the largest dragon skeleton. This path was difficult for Gly. Vexx had traveled it many a time and so its obstacles were easily overcome through his practice. Gly, on the other hand, had only been to Dragonreach once before, and he certainly hadn't tried climbing the dragon's spine.

The perils of the path were many, and Gly had to get past half of them twice, as he'd slipped while jumping a gap and had to start the trek over again. Each time there was a pause, Vexx waited for him impatiently.

It was the polls that would be Gly's undoing. Climbing polls were a common thing all over Astara. Vexx had always had a knack for them, even from a young age. Now, he was master at them. Moving or still polls, climbing, sliding down, balancing on or jumping from one to the next… all these feats were handled with great ease by Vexx.

Gly had never liked climbing polls, and after the seventh time he slid back down the step, dusty incline that the polls where mounted on, he remembered why he loathed them so. Gly gave up and lay still where he landed.

Vexx was at the top of the incline, kneeling impatiently. He waited a moment for Gly to move, and when the man failed to do so, Vexx took up a hand full of pebbles. He wasted no time in lobbing them, one by one, at Gly to see if the man was still alive. This did not help in Gly's frustrations. He growled as pebbles bounced off his tunic and boots. Annoyed, he sat up, only to be hit in the forehead with a small rock. "That's not funny!" Gly shouted up at Vexx, "This isn't working! We need a better plan!"

Vexx shook his head and scooted himself forward just enough to let gravity do the rest. Crouched down, he slid skillfully back down the incline to where Gly sat. Snatching up the rope and hook from the young man, Vexx gave him a disapproving look and proceeded to climb back up the bottom poll, rope slung upon his shoulder.

"I was about to think of that, y'know!" Gly snapped after him as Vexx jumped from poll to poll.

Once back at the top, Vexx secured the hook to the base of the last poll, then threw the rope's end back down to Gly. The tawny man muttered a bitter thanks as he started to make his way up the slope, hand over hand.

Once his comrade had reached the top, Vexx pointed for him to look at the fortress. They were almost even with the landmass now, although it was still slightly higher and much too far off to jump to. The structure before them was made up of three large towers with connecting walls. A huge tower was placed in the center of this, reaching up towards the heavens. All of it was made from dark colored stones and shining metals.

Gly smiled as he took up the grappling hook again. "Just watch me, Vexx! I'll save Kiri before you know it!" He swung the hook again, letting it fly up towards the edge of the rocks. The hook sailed over the edge and out of sight, but failed to catch anything as Gly tried to pull it taught. It fell back over the edge of the floating island, plummeting back towards the ground below. Gly sighed and started pulling the hook back up, ignoring the impatient claw-tapping from Vexx.

Suddenly, Gly pulled the rope, but it refused to budge. He gave it a good tug, but it seemed the hook had snagged itself on the underside of the dragon's spine he was standing upon. Cursing, Gly heaved his weight against the claw's grip, to no avail.

Vexx sighed and shook his head, then continued onward along the dragon spine path, right to the dragon's skull. The wide open jaws held something which Vexx had visited many times before; a flat, yellow disk of carved stone. Another flight disk.

Gly was surprised to see Vexx taking a sharp turn though the sky, aiming himself at the floating fortress. Gly had always marveled at the Astani Wings, and this moment was no exception.

Vexx had lost altitude in the flight, but was still high enough to snag the underside of the landmass. He braced himself as he hit the stone at full force, nearly knocking the wind out of himself. Instantly, the borrowed wings were gone. After a frozen moment, Vexx realized he'd succeeded in sinking his talons into the rock face. Slowly, he opened his eyes. His muscles refused to move, momentarily frozen in fear. He was able to shake this off quickly, however, and forced himself on to the next step: finding another handhold. With his talons, this was relatively easy, and he was soon scaling the rocks up to the fortress.

Gly clinched his fists at his sides and bared his teeth as he watched Vexx hoist himself up onto the isle and disappear from sight. He held his breath a moment, but it was quickly apparent that Vexx had no intention of helping him get up there. He's left him behind, off to face dangers unknown and rescue a beautiful young woman. Gly felt the fur on the back of his neck stand on edge. His one chance to prove himself was slipping away, and Vexx was the one trying to take it. Fueled by the strongest sense of jealously he'd ever known, Gly continued to struggle to dislodge his grappling hook.


	3. Chapter 3

The ending part of this chapter is where the dream that inspired this cut to after the events of chapter one. Yes, I have weird dreams. Sue me.

Chapter Three

The clash of metal upon metal echoed through the stone halls of the fortress, mixing with war cries and screams. Vexx dealt a finishing blow to the final guard in his path. The large armored man fell to the ground beside the others.

Stealth had granted Vexx entrance, but it was clear his escape would be anything but silent. They knew he was there now. He's lost count after the tenth guard jumped him, but he was guessing he had taken down thirty of them by now.

The fortress was practically a labyrinth of tunnels, rooms, halls, stairways and treacherous pitfalls, all riddled with guards and attack beasts of many breeds. The hall Vexx was in split off into three other passages, each looking exactly like the last… which is to say, dark and depressing. His blue eyes pierced the darkness as he carefully considered his path. He was distracted enough that he didn't notice a shadow creeping up behind him until it was almost too late. In fact, he may not have noticed at all, had the guard not lifted his sword a touch too high. The blade's tip hit the mud plastered ceiling, sending a small shower of rock and sand onto Vexx's head. He half turned just in time to see the blade coming down to cleave him clear in two. Vexx leapt aside, feeling the wind off of the swinging blade. The weapon met with the rock floor, rattling the guard right down into his bones. Angry that he'd let his guard down, Vexx took out all frustrations on the guard, wasting no time in gutting him. The mauled body slid down the wall, staining the floor with a red pool.

Vexx shook himself. His face had been splattered with blood. He'd never much minded the sight of blood –in fact, the less sane part of him rather liked the smell of it- but blood on his face… there was something about it that almost scared him. Perhaps it just pulled things into a deeper reality than he really wanted to face. His whole body shuddered. Taking care not to cut himself, Vexx moved to wipe away the blood with the back of his gauntlet. He paused, feeling a light breeze kiss the wet fur on his face. There was fresh air coming down the passageways.

His thoughts turned to the time he'd spent in slavery, deep within the mines of Dark Yabu. Long days and nights within partial darkness, where the whips of the guards were always ready to sting. There was never any fresh air. Vexx remembered feeling like he was choking to death many times in the stagnate prison.

Vexx shook himself from the memory. He wiped the blood away quickly, then charged head-long down the only tunnel which didn't have fresh air coming down it. He was almost positive this would lead him to Kiri.

The labyrinth of tunnels didn't get any less confusing as time went on. Vexx was confronted again and again with guards. Every time, he killed them all, but he was starting to tire out. His reactions were lagging, and the more they did so, the more he was injured in the battles. Still, he managed to escape with only a few minor cuts and scrapes.

Suddenly, all of the creatures coming at him where darker and fiercer, forcing Vexx to realize how much time had passed. Night had fallen, and the dark creatures were all being granted their full power. With no magic sundial at his control to hasten the moon onward, Vexx would have to pray he could hold out. Perhaps find some place to wait out the night. He knew better. He may intend to do so, but in the end, he could never stand to hide for very long. It wasn't his nature.

Suddenly, Vexx saw a bit of light up ahead. The hall he was in emptied out into a large room. It was more of a cave, actually, but Vexx had to take down a couple of Skinx before he got the chance to really look around. Second glance showed that the floor was uneven and jagged rocks stuck out everywhere. It was anything but a friendly setting.

The air smelled dead. Vexx knew he was getting close. He charged up a steep slop in the floor, only to find the land dropped off into a deep pit on the other side. There was no way for him to slow himself at this point. Much to his satisfaction, there was a suspended column of rock in front of him, lined with climbing polls which formed a path up to a doorway set high up in the rock face. Vexx leapt for the nearest poll, snagging it perfectly. A smirk slid across his face as he started climbing for the top of it.

Very suddenly, the poll shifted. Not the usual bobbing motion he was used to, nor a side to side one. It started to tilt. The whole poll spun about on the rock column. Vexx felt his stomach lurch as he was suddenly turned upside down. Unable to hold on in this position, Vexx's tumbled over, lost his grip, and fell into the darkness below.


	4. Chapter 4

As I upload these, I remember how much I love these guys. This is all that I have written. I don't have any plans to work on it further, but you never know. Writers block makes me revisit fan fics.

The first part of this was also part of the dream, but the part with the rope I had to invent. I woke up before Vexx could come up with a plan.

Chapter Four

"Vexx?" A voice suddenly spoke, waking him from a near sleep. Vexx lifted his head. He was sitting upon the ground, back to back with his grandfather, Vargas. Vexx looked back over his shoulder at the old man who was the only family he'd ever known.

Vargas was usually a man of few words, but was known to speak up when he felt the time was right. He sighed and whispered to Vexx, "This is no place to die in. I'd hoped our race would serve better than this. Pathetic slaves in a mine." He snorted and his shoulder slumped. "You've got to find a way out, Vexx. No matter what, don't you ever give up on your freedom."

He looked back at his grandson then, small tears in the edges of his eyes. Vexx turned and lifted a hand to place it on his shoulder. A hand which wasn't metal and blades, but flesh and fur. Upon seeing this, he froze. This was a dream. As he realized this, the memory faded away to darkness as his body started to wake.

The first thing he was aware of was the pain. Stinging pain all through him. Carefully, he opened one eye to find he was laying face down on a rock of some kind. Picking himself up showed that the rock was no more than twice as long as he was tall and was floating in the midst of a black abyss. Vexx scooted on his hands and knees over to the edge and looked down, seeing a very thin crack of light far down at the bottom. This, he decided, had to be the crack he'd noticed on the bottom of the fortress. Hot desert air was rising from it.

Grunting in pain, Vexx carefully rested his head on the palm of his hand. His forehead was bleeding, and he wasn't sure where else. One thing was certain, he'd be very bruised after that fall. As he started testing his body to make sure nothing was broken, a voice suddenly called out, "Vexx?"

The warrior spun about, blue power flashing in his talons as he growled.

Behind him was another floating mass of rock. However, this one had a large steel cage suspended from the bottom. The cage floor was even with the rock he stood on. There, her face pressed to the bars of the cell, was a young woman. Her fur was crème in color with black stripes here and there. Her face was sweet, although slightly bruised at the moment. Her brown eyes flashed slightly in the dim light. "Oh, it _is_ you! I'm so glad!"

Vexx lifted a brow, relaxing from his one-guard position. This wasn't exactly the way he'd planed on finding Kiri, but it was better than not finding her at all. Vexx's gaze moved behind Kiri, to a huge figure who occupied the giant cage with her. He was some manner of giant, easily four times the size of Vexx. Whatever sort of creature he was, however, was unclear, as he was clad in heavy armor, including a face visor. Whatever creature was within laughed deeply. "So this is your hero, eh, Kiri? I'm impressed." His tone was clearly mocking.

Vexx bared his teeth at the man.

"Ahden, be quiet," Kiri snapped at the giant. She returned her attention to Vexx, "The bars are protected with magics. Not even Ahden can break them."

Vexx wondered how it was a creature of this mass was caught and contained here in the first place. As always, he didn't question.

Kiri continued, "The head master has the key to the door, but the only way out of here is when the guards fly down."

Vexx cranked his head back to look upwards. The cliff he'd fallen from was a very good ways off, (even higher than the one he'd skidded off of that morning,) and he shuddered slightly to think he'd fallen all that way.

"Looks pretty hopeless, hero," the man called Ahden said.

"We can't give up!" Kiri argued, "Vexx, there's got to be a way. Please, please, tell me you have a plan."

Vexx scratched his head a bit, bit his lip, and shrugged sheepishly.

"You don't have a plan?" Kiri's voice was totally disbelieving.

After licking his lips and pondering the question, Vexx finally shook his head, no.

Kiri made a frustrated sound, "You mean to tell me you don't know what to do? What kind of a man comes all the way here from Overwood, breaks into a heavily guarded fortress, fights his way down to the dungeon, and the doesn't have an escape plan?"

Vexx narrowed his eyes at her, then just spread his arms out wide. After all, this was exactly the kind of man he was.

Kiri slumped against the bars, "…we… are doomed."

A voice called from above, and Vexx's gaze snapped up in total disbelief. Leaning over the edge of the cliff, a grin on his face, was Gly. He waved down at Vexx, "You find her?" he asked.

"Who's that?" Kiri tried to look up, but the rock her cage hung from was blocking her view.

Vexx blinked, wide eyed, up at Gly. How the man had made it this far was beyond him.

"Looks like you need some help," Gly said. He held out the end of his rope.

A bit of a smile on his face, Vexx motioned for him to toss it down.

The rope sailed out over the cliff's edge, the hook already secured. Vexx watched his freedom fall towards him… then suddenly stop out of his reach.

"It's not long enough," Gly stated the obvious. Vexx lowered his head and whimpered in defeat.

"Here," Ahden said, sliding a huge hand out of the cage. He held it out in front of Vexx, who eyed the man with suspicion. "I can lift you up high enough to reach it," Ahden said, "I mean, hell, you're my ticket out of here, too."

Reluctantly, Vexx climbed onto the man's hand. He struggled to keep his balance as he was lifted up into the air. The rope was still just beyond his grasp at the peek of Ahden's reach, however.

"You're gonna have to jump for it," Gly called to him.

Vexx rolled his eyes, then crouched down and rocketed himself up as high as he could with a magic blast from the Astani War Talons. Ahden cried out in pain and jerked his hand back as the magic burned him. This left Vexx with nothing to land on should he have missed.

A gauntlet snagged the rope, and Vexx smiled. Hand over hand he made his way up. However, ropes are much different from metal polls and the fibers started to shred under his grasp. Vexx noticed this and pressed on, trying to be careful, as he didn't want to fall again, partly because he doubted that he could have the same luck to land on the rock again, and partly because he feared he would land safely and then Ahden would smash him to bits for burning his hand like that. In fact, he could hear the giant cursing and screaming at him still.

Gly reached out for Vexx's hand as the warrior neared the top. Vexx reached for it in return, but suddenly, it was no longer there. Gly gave a yelp of pained surprise and was dragged backwards, out of Vexx's sight. Alarmed, Vexx started climbing faster. In his hurry, he forgot to be careful and his upper hand sliced right through the rope fibers, weakening them enough that it started to unravel. Thinking fast, Vexx abandoned the rope, sinking his talons into the rock beside him. The going was far slower than he would have liked, and by the time he reached the top, Gly had a knife to his throat.

"Freeze!" A large guard demanded, pressing the blade against Gly's fur.

Vexx sighed and shook his head as he came to his feet. This was the last thing he needed and exactly why he didn't really want Gly along.

"Don't move or I'll kill him!" The guard growled fiercely, "Now, who are you?"

Vexx glared at him.

"Are you deaf? I asked you a question!"

Gauntlet covered hands flexed into fists.

"Answer me! Or I'll cut his throat!"

"His name's Vexx!" Gly answered for him as he felt the blade pressing harder against his neck, "And he doesn't-"

"Shut up!" The guard growled, shaking Gly, "I'm asking _him_ the questions here!" His eyes stayed fixed on Vexx, "Who sent you?"

Naturally, Vexx didn't reply.

"You want your friend dead? You better start answering me!"

Gly's eyes pleaded with Vexx, although the man didn't dare speak again. Already the blade was pressed hard to his skin.

Vexx licked his teeth, unsure of what to do at this point. He moved to take a step forward.

Gly cried out in pain as the guard twisted his arm, "Stop! Don't think I won't do it!"

Vexx looked at him, freezing in his tracks. His icy gaze met with that of the guard. A small smile crept to the warrior's face. He took another step.

"Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?" The guard growled, cranking Gly's head back violently, "I'll kill 'im! I swear!"

Vexx smirked on and took another step, then launched himself forward with an energy blast, landing right beside the guard. The large man barked in surprise, swinging the blade at Vexx instead. The metal glanced harmlessly off of the back of a War Talon and Vexx quickly dealt a series of blows to the man. The body flew back at least ten paces with the final strike.

Gly stumbled a bit, trying to regain his footing after being cast aside. His hand dabbed at his neck were a small trickle of blood seeped from a tiny cut. In fact, most of the blood on him was from the guard. Knowing it wasn't as bad as it could have been, Gly looked back to Vexx.

"Wow." He was breathless, "How- You just… How did you know? That he was bluffing, I mean?"

Vexx cocked his head to the side slightly in confusion.

"You… you did know he was bluffing," Gly laughed nervously, "You knew he wouldn't do it… right?"

Vexx replied by smirking at him.

"RIGHT?" Gly pressed him.

Vexx made a movement that could pass for a shrug and headed onward.

"Vexx!" Gly exclaimed, tagging after him as usual, "That's not funny! Now, c'mon! You knew! Huh? Right? Vexx!"

Vexx just smirked on.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

"Where are we going?" Gly whispered, sticking so close to Vexx it made the warrior feel claustrophobic. The two were walking down one of the many dark tunnels of the fortress. At every crossroad, Vexx carefully marked the stone walls with is talons so they could find their way back again. Stealth was critical now. He knew he could fight his way out of most situations, but Gly was a different story altogether.

All manner of guard beasts and dark creatures within the fortress knew to be on the look out by now. The hallways were crawling with them. Vexx had to do his level best to keep himself and his companion out of sight.

Gly shivered, "Why is it so cold? We're still in the desert, right? Oh, wait, doesn't it get really cold at night? I always forget that… since we hardly ever let it get dark in Overwood."

Vexx suppressed a sigh as he once again marveled at the way the man could carry on a conversation with himself. Of course, he personally always forgot just how little of the world Gly had experienced for himself. The fact that night and day had a natural cycle they would take if not altered with a magic sundial was something that seldom crossed the Gly's mind. It was no worry of his. However, Vexx, who had traveled much and didn't always have access to a sundial, was very aware of such processes of the world. He had to keep these things in mind when battling creatures of the darkness.

Between his own thoughts and Gly's whisperings, Vexx had allowed himself to be distracted. The warrior drew in his breath quickly and ducked back as a large axe cleaved the place he had been standing. Of course, with Gly following so closely, the hasty retreat resulted in Vexx plowing into the man. The two tumbled backward in a heap on the floor. Vexx lifted his gaze in time to see the axe coming down at him again. He knew if he dodged, Gly would be right in the way of the swing. With a growl, Vexx leapt up to meet the blade. Claws sparked, metal clanged, the warrior's knees give out from under him.

Gly gasped as he looked up to find Vexx had managed to keep the blade from cleaving his own head by grabbing hold of it. However, the force of the swing was too much for him to completely stop, and so the back of his own war talons had hit him in the head instead. Vexx swayed and slumped back to the floor. "Vexx!" Gly shouted, scrambling to stand.

The guard towered over the two, seeming confused as to how it was his enemy had fallen without his axe getting bloody. Clearly he was not the most intelligent of creatures. This baffled moment was all that saved Gly, as the next swing of the axe was delayed enough to miss. Gly took hold of Vexx's shoulder, shaking him. This action was met with a violent response and Gly suddenly found himself reeling back down to the floor.

Not realizing he had just backhanded his companion, Vexx was back on his feet in an instant. The guard gave a confused grunt before he met his end. With the huge man fallen, Vexx leaned heavily on the wall and held his head gingerly. The world moved in and out of focus as his attention shifted to Gly, who lay upon the floor. He was relieved to find the man was not dead, and then confused to find he was relieved. This lead to a momentary realization that maybe Gly wasn't _so_ bad, really. The thought was fleeting, as survival was the primary objective and he had to get his mind back to it, however fuzzy his mind may have been at the moment.

Eyes fluttering open, Gly stared up at Vexx. "Are we dead yet?" he asked. To this, Vexx growled slightly and gave Gly a cuff on the ear. The man took this to mean that they were, indeed, still with the living. He ambled to his feet and swayed, leaning on the wall for a moment. Gly's brow then furrowed and he pointed an accusing finger at Vexx. "You hit me!"

After shaking his head sharply to clear his hazy vision, Vexx looked at Gly as if the man were insane.

"No, you did!" Gly insisted, "Why did you do that?"

A cloth-covered palm suddenly pressed against Gly's mouth to silence him, razor-sharp talons an acorn's length from his face as well. Vexx's ears were at attention, listening to the sounds of the hallways. They had made far too much noise as it was, the last thing he needed was to get killed because Gly was shouting at him for some stupid reason. In the now quiet corridor, Vexx heard what he expected. There were footsteps and they were coming closer by the second. Fixing Gly with a serious look, the warrior moved his hand away from the man's face before darting down the hall as quickly as he could. Gly was fast to follow.

Their position was quickly common knowledge to all within the fortress. Vexx plowed through the hallways, either killing or casting aside anyone who got in their path. Gly was close on his heels, staying alert now as he had to dodge falling bodies in the wake of the Astani War Talons.

The corridors once again gave way to a huge cave-like chamber. A spiral staircase wrapped around the perimeter of the room, moving upward into darkness. Vexx skidded to a stop, blue eyes lifting in surprise to find he was faced by archers who lined this staircase, each aiming an arrow to take the two down. The warrior spun around to dart back into the hall, only to find huge double-doors being shut by grinning guards on the other side. He slammed into the doors and pounded on them, then took a step back to try and blast them open.

"Freeze where you are!" a voice boomed over the chamber. Vexx slowly looked over his shoulder as he gathered energy in his palms. The speaker stood upon a landing on the staircase. His features were covered by a hooded robe, his hands tucked into the wide sleeves. "Put your hands up."

Vexx's gaze shifted from the man to the pleading face of Gly, who was already lifting his own hands slowly up near his head. With an annoyed sigh, Vexx let the energy in his hands subside and then did as ordered.

"Put down your weapons," the man barked out.

Vexx's shoulders slumped and he let his hands drop at his sides.

"On the floor," the mystery man insisted. "Put your weapons on the floor!"

Rolling his eyes, Vexx crouched down and placed both his palms on the stone floor.

The man's voice sounded tired and irritated, "Take off the gauntlets."

Vexx sighed and rolled his gaze over to Gly.

"They don't come off," Gly announced.

"What do you mean, they don't come off?"

"Those are his hands."

"What in the name of--" further words were cut short by an angry growl. "Just kill them!" he ordered.

The world suddenly shifted into a state where it moved like syrup. Vexx watched the archers release their arrows, saw the sharp points flying through the air. He came up on one knee and thrust his hands out in front of himself. He was blinded by a blue light and he felt the war talons tremble. When it subsided, the burnt remains of the arrows lay scattered on the floor around him.

A single word echoed through the vast chamber. "Interesting."

Vexx shook his hands and winced. It felt as if he had stuck them in a fire. Metal or no, the war talons were a part of him and he could feel whatever happened to them. The blast he had used was apparently more than they really wanted to stand up to.

"What sort of power is this?" the cloaked man asked with intrigue.

Vexx glared up at him sidelong and blew on his talons to try and cool them down.

"They are the Astani War Talons," Gly barked back.

Vexx took great care to move very slowly as he slapped himself on the forehead.

"Indeed?" the man asked. "The Talons of legend?"

Vexx shot Gly a warning look and both were silent.

"How does such a tiny creature come across something so powerful?" the man asked as he started to descend the stairs. Vexx fixed him with an icy gaze and, of course, said nothing. "They have long been lost to time, and they choose to surface here? Why is that?"

Naturally, there was no reply from Vexx.

"And who are you, wielder of the Talons?"

"His name is Vexx," Gly answered.

Upon hearing this, Vexx's gaze snapped over to Gly and he lifted a talon in the threat of a backhand. The look on his face said that if Gly dared to open his mouth again, it would be to take in his last breath. Gly turned his ears back and fixed his eyes on the floor.

"Vexx," the figure repeated as he reached the bottom of the stairs. Vexx crossed his arms, eyeing the man as he approached. He was easily twice as tall as Vexx, but the warrior seemed unphased. The man chuckled. "And does Vexx not speak for himself?"

Gly pressed his lips shut tight.

"I suppose not, then." The man stopped just out of lunging range and hunched to look down at the two. The shadows within his hood were still thick, but a hint of his features was visible in the form of a short muzzle and a grinning mouth full of sharp fangs. "I'm sure a few days here will be more than enough to convince you to chat." He lifted a clawed hand and snapped his fingers. The archers closest to the bottom of the staircase let down their weapons and moved across the floor.

Vexx slid into a battle stance. This man had to be the leader, and taking him down could end all of this. With a growl, he moved to leap at the man, but something suddenly held him back. Turning his head, he found Gly holding tightly to his wrist with both hands. "Don't," the man said. Vexx answered this by baring his teeth and trying to shake Gly off. Clearly his companion was not willing to let go. "Vexx, I'm serious, I don't want to die." His voice was little more than a trembling whisper. Again Vexx tried to shake him from his arm and was surprised at how tight of a grip one could have while their hands were shaking. Vexx was about to resort to force when there was suddenly a sharp pain on his already injured head. The last thing he remembered seeing was the shocked look on Gly's face before the world went black.


	6. Chapter 6

_I didn't mention in the last chapter, but it's been a really long time since I worked on this story and I randomly got ideas for it again. Hence the shift in writing style last chapter. I like to believe that my fanfics get better as they go. _

_With that said, I'm afraid this chapter didn't come out as clear as I would have liked. More editing was done in here than I would have liked. All the same, I'm pretty good with the way it's going._

_Enjoy._

Chapter Six

"What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said! They don't come off! I can't make it any clearer than that."

"How can they not come off? They're just gauntlets."

"They seem to be… joined with his body somehow."

Three cloaked men stared down at the figure of Vexx, who was strapped down to a table in an interrogation room. They inspected the claws with no small amount of uneasiness. The thought of such a thing existing was beyond anything they had ever fathomed.

"Master Larkin is not going to like this," one of them said grimly.

"We could always remove them by other means," another stated as he examined Vexx's arm. "The rest of him seems fleshy enough. I'm sure we could saw through right here, worry about extracting whatever is in the gauntlets afterwards."

"We should speak with Master Larkin first," the final one chimed in. "You remember what happened the last time."

All three nodded grimly. They then shuffled across the floor, past a tiny cage where Gly had been stowed and out of the chamber. A guard stood just outside the open door, leaning on his axe and looking very tired.

Cautiously, Gly shifted across the floor of the small cage and gripped the iron bars. "Vexx," he whispered. "Vexx, we need to get out of here."

Gly thought he saw the warrior's hands move, slyly testing his bounds. He figured the man was just pretending to be unconscious by now. He waited for a time so that Vexx could work out whatever plan he had. However, even the small movements of his fingers stopped. Everything was quiet and still.

"Vexx?"

Still no movement.

"Are you… mad at me?" Gly asked timidly.

Vexx's eyes stayed shut.

Gly turned his ears back. His gaze darted to the door to make sure the guard wasn't paying attention before looking back up at the table. "I'm really sorry. There were just too many of them to take on. You saw all those archers. We both would have been killed." He paused. "Well, at least, I would have. I didn't even have a decent weapon. Come on. If you're awake, give me some kind of a sign."

Much to his disappointment, Vexx still didn't move a muscle.

Gly slumped his back against the bars, keeping his eyes on the door and the sidetracked, sleepy looking guard just beyond it. "I don't know what I was thinking. I ran off totally unprepared for all this. I mean, really, what did I have on me? A knife and a rope." He scoffed and shook his head. "I didn't even think to grab, you know, a _real_ weapon. I just took off like I was gonna save the day. There goes Gly, doing something brainless again." He leaned his head back, letting it hit hard against the bars, "I'm so stupid. I should have just stayed home and let you deal with it. You'd probably have Kiri and be back by now. Gods, Vexx, I really screwed up this time."

Suddenly, Gly fell flat on his back as the cage door opened. Vexx stood over him, fists on his hips and a slight smirk on his face.

"How…?" Gly stammered out.

"Hey!" the guard suddenly shouted.

Vexx's gaze snapped up quickly. The guard charged for him, lifting the axe. Through barred windows set high on the walls, the first grey light of morning gave way to a golden sunlit glow. The guard felt the power of the night drain from him just before Vexx's fist met with his gut.

The battle short-lived, Vexx turned his attention to the escape they needed to make. He moved to the wall and tested it with his claws, looking up at the windows overhead. His eyes searched quickly, finding a long chain secured to the wall. A moment later, the stone wall around the fastening gave way to a power blast and Vexx gathered up the chain, slinging it over one shoulder. He nodded to himself and turned back to Gly, only to find the man gawking at the fallen guard. Vexx motioned for him to come over, but Gly was too distracted to notice. Rolling his eyes, Vexx clapped his hands together loudly. Gly's gaze snapped over to the warrior, eyes wide. "You know… it's actually kind of scary the way you can just… make mince-meat out of someone in the blink of an eye like that."

This was not the time for such a discussion. Vexx pointed sharply at Gly and then at the floor beside himself. Shaking himself, Gly hurried to Vexx's side. The Astani War Talons dug holes into the wall as hauled himself up to the windowsill. Just as he'd suspected, the bars were designed to keep in much larger creatures. He and his companion would be able to slip through them easily. He quickly secured the length of chain and let it down for Gly to climb.

As Gly hoisted himself up onto the stone sill, the voices could be heard coming from down the corridor. Gly quickly pulled up the chain.

"I don't understand why it's so important to get information out of them. I'd sooner gut the feisty one, slice off those gauntlets and be done with it."

"It's the principal of the thing. Lord Larkin can't stand stuck-up people. He wants to break that one before he kills him."

"Well it's a pretty stupid move, if you ask me. The other one seems more than willing to talk. Stick him with a hot poker a couple of times and I'm sure all the secrets of the gauntlets would just come pouring out."

The three hooded figures entered the room and froze in their tracks. They searched in frenzy for any sign of where their captives had runaway to, but found none. Frantic, they ran back down the hallways, screaming of escape.

Outside, clinging to the edge of the windowsill, Vexx breathed a sigh of relief.

"Now what?" Gly grunted, his hands desperately gripping the sill beside his comrade. He dared a glance down to find nothing but the vast desert of Dragonreach stretching far below him. He snapped his gaze back upward with a whimper.

Vexx's answer was not one that Gly wanted to see. The man moved sideways along the sill, sank his talons into the rock face, and looked back at Gly.

"I can't do this," Gly swallowed hard.

Vexx motioned with a nod of his head for Gly to follow him. Reluctant, Gly moved one hand at a time, scooting his way across the ledge toward the warrior. He was amazed to watch Vexx simply cling to the wall and wait so effortlessly. As it was, his own muscles were starting to shake. Just a bit further, he told himself a second before his furry hand slipped right off the ledge. Gly gasped as he became aware of the sensation of falling. A piercing pain shot through his arm, there was a scraping sound of metal on stone, and he stopped falling just as quickly as he had started.

Gly realized he had his eyes closed. He carefully opened one to look down at the landscape so impossibly far below. Once again he was quick to snap his gaze upward, only this time he was met with an almost equally sickening sight. There was blood running down his arm. The Astani War Talons were wrapped about the limb, slicing into his flesh.

Vexx's teeth were clinched as he tried to decide what to do from here. He knew that if he tried to haul Gly up, he would only do further damage to the man. Of course, just hanging there wasn't an option, either. Much to his surprise, Gly suddenly gave a pained cry as he swung his free arm up to grab hold of Vexx's wrist. There was still fear in the man's golden eyes, but alongside that was a look of knowing that he had to take action to survive now.

Through much effort and pain, Gly eventually found himself hanging on to Vexx's back as the warrior scaled the side of the floating fortress. The two of them had slid down the rock face quite a ways when Vexx caught him, and they had even further to go in order to get to the next thin window.

The room beyond was dark and quiet. Vexx peered into the dimly lit chamber, listening and sniffing. A scent like dried herbs and wine came to him. There was no sound to hear. Carefully shifting Gly's weight on his back, Vexx slipped inside the room and inspected things. It was little more than storage, perhaps a pantry. Barrels and crates lined the walls. Vexx found a space between them in the back of the room where someone could lay down comfortably and not be seen.

Gly tried to stand on his own, but promptly landed in a crumpled heap on the floor, gripping his bleeding arm to his chest. Vexx moved swiftly about the room, retrieving things from shelves, sniffing about the herb crates, and putting supplied back in the hiding place with Gly. A few decently clean table cloths, a mortar and pestle, a few handfuls of choice herbs in a metal bowl, and lastly, a stein of water taken from one of the barrels on the wall.

Silent as ever, Vexx slid into their hiding place. He threw a torn piece of the tablecloth to Gly for him to hold on his wound before setting to work. He began grinding some of the herbs and adding water to them until he had a nice pulp. Finally, he held out his hand to Gly.

Much to Vexx's surprise, this was met by Gly shrinking away from him. Blue eyes locked with gold, but only for a brief moment before Gly looked away. "Sorry," he breathed, his body trembling. "I just…" he left the statement unfinished and tightly shut his eyes.

Vexx slowly dropped his hand, completely caught off-guard by this sudden change. He then grabbed hold of the torn table cloth and quickly ripped strips from it in a very bitter manner, watching Gly with a sidelong gaze. The fact remained that those wounds needed tending. Sighing in annoyance, Vexx slid the mortar across the floor and held out the bandages at arm's length. When Gly didn't see this because his eyes were clinched shut, Vexx cleared his throat to get his attention. Finally, the man sat up and reluctantly took the bandages from the warrior.

Gly worked slowly at dressing his wounds, his hands shaking the whole time. He avoided Vexx's gaze, piercing as it was. Once the job was done, he settled back onto the floor, using the remains of the tablecloth as a bit of padding. He felt so lightheaded that all he wanted was to rest.

Vexx leaned against the wall and glared down at the floor. His eyes slowly shifted from the cold stones to his travel-battered boots, the leather specked with dried blood. Still his gaze moved up his own leg to where his hands rested in his lap. His shield hand was streaked red and there were bits of tawny fur stuck to the fingers. Taking in his breath sharply, Vexx came up on one knee and his clean hand went for the stein on the floor. He slowly poured the water over his hand, doing his best to wash away the blood. The blood of the only person he'd ever met who was foolish enough not to fear the War Talons.

He did it to save him. What else could he have possibly done? Gly would have fallen to his death, the ungrateful little twerp. How dare he act this way? Vexx's fists sparked with blue light and he lifted them over his head, intent on smashing a hole in the floor. He stopped himself. There was no sense in giving away his position now. Breathe.

Slowly Vexx let his hands fall back down at his sides. There was still a mission to complete. Gly would be safe here, so long as he stayed out of sight. He glanced at the man, noticing that he looked as if he were asleep now. Just as well. He hindered more than he helped things. Coming to his feet, Vexx nodded slightly to himself. Gly would be safe here for now. Safer than if he tried to follow.

Without a second thought, Vexx crept out of the pantry in search of an escape route.

_Gina Trujillo, 2008._


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"You're a prince?" Kiri asked Ahden.

"Yes," the armored giant replied, "My people have long lived in Dragonreach. We were forced to take refugee underground when the forces of Dark Yabu attacked. Now we are resurfacing and taking back our lands. I have a feeling we would have been better off staying hidden now, though." He sighed.

"We can not all live in continued fear," Kiri replied, "My people are rebuilding as well. We will not let something so trivial as this disrupt our lives."

"Dragons are trivial?" Ahden scoffed.

"If your people are from Dragonreach, surely you are the mighty warriors who defeated the dragons in the first place."

"More like the fools who sent a race to extinction," Ahden replied ruefully.

"Well, apparently not," Kiri said and Ahden nodded in agreement as he came to the same realization just as she said this. There was a bit of a pause before Kiri added, "It really wasn't like I had imagined."

"What?"

"Getting kidnapped by a dragon," Kiri laughed sheepishly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "I don't know, I mean, I heard stories about it ever since I was a small girl. But actually getting scooped up by the thing and carried away… Well, I certainly screamed a good deal more than I thought I would. How embarrassing."

"It's a dragon," Ahden muttered in return. "Really, how does a girl not scream?"

"I beg your pardon?" Kiri crossed her arms and looked up at the giant before her.

"Well, I'm just saying that it must have been very frightening for you. It's normal for a girl to scream when she's frightened."

"Oh, and I supposed you didn't scream at all when they came and swept you right off the ground to dizzying heights?"

"Of course I didn't," Ahden snapped in return, "I yelled a good deal and demanded that it put me down, but I did not, by any stretch of the imagination, scream. I am a warrior and we do not scream!"

"Oh, so just because I'm a girl, that made it alright that I was afraid and screaming?" Kiri shot back.

"Yes," Ahden replied simply.

There was a silence in which Kiri glared holes through the thick armor platting. She then moved over to the edge of the cage and looked over the side. The bars were easily far enough apart for her to fit in between, but the major issue was that fall to certain death that awaited her. She moved her gaze upward, but couldn't see much beyond the floating hunk of rock that their cage was suspended from. Finally, she barked out, "Ahden, pick me up."

"What are you plotting?" Ahden sighed.

"I'm tired of waiting to be rescued. Pick me up and put me on top of the cage. I'm going to see what's up there."

With a grumble and a mutter, Ahden moved to the edge of the cage and took Kiri in his hand. He easily reached up and plunked her none-too-gentile-like on top of the floating rock overhead. Kiri dusted herself off and looked upward. It was a very long ways up. Vexx had barely managed it with a rope to grab on to. There was no way she was going to reach it. Her attention moved to a circular stone panel fixed in the center of the rock she stood on. "I think I found something," she told Ahden as she ran to it.

"Something that can get us out?" Ahden asked impatiently. "Being that your 'hero' doesn't seem to be coming back."

"Vexx will come back," Kiri said as she inspected the panel. "I don't doubt that. I just have a feeling he's not terribly focused on rescuing us, but rather eliminating the threat altogether. I'm not too keen on waiting around while he figures that out." The stone before her had a number of glowing runes carved upon it, all in a language she was unfamiliar with. She cautiously stepped into the middle of the circle and knelt to examine the markings. "I'm not sure what this does. It looks like some kind of controls."

"Well, poke it," Ahden told her.

Cautiously, Kiri reached out and touched a rune. She gasped and hunched close to the ground as the cage suddenly spun about to face another direction.

"That didn't do us any good!" Ahden snapped, "Poke something else." Even more hesitant, Kiri pressed her hand to another glowing mark. The whole cage lurched and she heard a cry from Ahden. "What did you do?" he snapped in a panic.

"I poked something else!" Kiri snapped in return, "Why, what happened?"

Even as she was asking this, Ahden was yelling back at her, "You made the bottom of the cage fall out! Stupid girl, fix it before I fall!"

Kiri's hands moved across the glowing panel in frenzy, "I'm trying, I'm trying, just hold on!"

"I am!" Ahden growled as he gripped the bars of the cage as tightly as he could.

The rock turned about once more before it suddenly started to plummet down through the darkness, racing toward the gapping crack in the bottom of the fortress. Kiri's fingers gripped at the edge of the stone to keep her in place, all the while Ahden was screaming. As they descended, Kiri caught glimpses of other cages like theirs, full of prisoners who watched in surprise. The cage fell straight through the crack, the cold night wind of the desert sweeping across Kiri's face. She forced herself to let got of the panel with one hand and pressed more runes at random. Her whole body slammed against the rock as the fall came to a halt. Everything was silent.

"Ahden?" Kiri asked timidly, pulling herself to the edge of the rock. She took in her breath sharply as she saw that they were frighteningly close to the ground.

"Crazy girl," the giant huffed, suddenly rolling into her view as he let himself drop out of the cage. "At least you managed to make good in the end. Come on." He reached up to help her down from the rock. She didn't move. He made a motion with his large hand, "Come on, come on, we don't have all night! The guards might come looking for us any time!"

"I'm not going," Kiri said.

"What do you mean, not going?"

"There were others trapped up there. I saw them. I can't just leave," she moved backward, disappearing from Ahden's sight.

"What is wrong with you?" Ahden asked, completely disbelieving, "You made it out, and now you want to go back in?"

"They need help. Vexx and Gly are still in there, too. If I don't go back, it really wouldn't be right."

"Crazy girl!" Ahden snapped at her once again.

"Go back home, Ahden. Your people are a warlike race, have them come here. With an army, we can surely overthrow whoever it is has invaded here."

"You're really serious about this?"

"Yes," Kiri replied simply. She smirked and then added, "And Ahden? I won't tell anyone you screamed all the way down here." The cage suddenly lurched upward, zipping back up through the sky and disappearing into the fortress.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight**

_Artist's comments: The beginning of this chapter actually starts before the last one… I just sat down to write it and realized that I had totally jacked up my time line. This is what happens when you publish as you write. Lol_

_So, just to clear things up, yes, the start of this chapter occurs before the last one and leads into parallel timeline with Kiri and Ahden. Get it, got it, good._

Now that daylight had set in, Vexx had the advantage. He stalked through the halls of the fortress, letting stealth be his best weapon. He quickly felled any guard he found alone. One by one the bodies were discovered. Less and less guards were alone as the day progressed. One the one hand, this made the job of picking them off more difficult. On the other, it left greater portions of the fortress unguarded. Vexx had more than enough opportunity to explore and get a feel for what he was up against.

The sound of heavy boots came from ahead of him in the hall. The warrior quickly slipped through the closest door, finding himself in a very thin hallway. Curious, he continued down it as the sound of the guard's boots came and went on the other side of the door. The path wound about and spiraled downward into a large, dark chamber. Even with his excellent night vision, Vexx was having a hard time making out things. He had just decided to turn back when he felt hot breath on the back of his neck. Searing hot. All of the fur on his body fluffed up. He spun about with a growl to face his enemy, hearing the creature shuffle back to dodge. Two huge yellow eyes shone back at him in the darkness. He realized quickly that this was a dragon, and it was now blocking the way out.

Vexx stood his ground as the dragon approached, hunched low to the floor. It bared its teeth. Vexx did the same. It growled and roared. Vexx screamed at it in return. He could feel the heat of its breath on his face, the rows of sharp teeth growing closer. Then there was a curl at the corners of the dragon's mouth. As Vexx watched its eyes, there was suddenly a sense that they were both in on some great secret that no one else knew. Vexx's mouth curled into a smile in return.

Master Larkin paced the floor of the large circular chamber. All around him stood guards, soldiers, and archers. He spoke loudly. "How can you all be so incompetent? He's been missing all day, yet there had been absolutely no sign of him?"

"Aside from the bodies," a soldier added.

Larkin whirled about to face the direction of the voice. He knew not who had spoken and everyone in that direction adverted their eyes from his gaze. He continued to speak slowly, "I am well aware of the casualties. He has taken down a quarter of our guards and uncounted numbers of beasts. Clearly the wielder of the Talons came here for a reason. He is not going to simply disappear. He is still within the fortress. Search everywhere until you find him!"

The whole of the crowd saluted as one and then they were gone, combing the halls of the fortress. Master Larkin cursed his ill fate.

"Do not fail me," a voice warned from within the swirling mists of a crystal mounted upon the wall.

Larkin did not turn to face the sound. "I am doing the best that I possibly can, given the circumstances," he replied, trying to keep his voice calm.

"Circumstances, he says," the voice mocked.

"Perhaps if I had been allowed more manpower and time to strategize this occupation," Master Larkin began to elaborate.

"Spare me the tired lecture," the voice tsked. "If things are going to go according to plan, we need Vexx and we need him alive. Is that understood?"

"But why?" Larkin protested, "We could just as easily take the War Talons off of his dead-"

"Is that understood?" the voice repeated calmly.

"Yes, my lord," Master Larkin replied, thinking quite the opposite. The mist in the crystal swirled away and was gone.

Night had fallen again. The room was totally silent. It had been so for a very long time. Cautious, Gly finally built up enough courage to peer out of his hiding place. "Vexx?" he whispered. There was no way he just left him there… right? "Vexx?"

After getting no answer, Gly carefully came to his feet and moved across the floor. His arm was stinging and he held it against his chest. With unsure steps, he came to the large door and heaved it open. There was a faint sound beyond. Somewhere away down the corridor, guards were shouting at each other. Silent as could be, Gly moved through the passageway. His body was absolutely trembling, no matter how he tried to stop it. When a sound suddenly came, Gly drew in his breath so sharply it made him feel light-headed. At an intersection in the halls, panicked guards suddenly ran past. A dragon came rampaging after them, wings tucked close to its body in the cramped space. It was all a blur of scales and claws, and then it was gone. Gly stumbled in its wake, grabbing the wall for support.

Another sound came that made his gaze lurch over. He found himself staring dead at the giant snout of another dragon. It sniffed him. Gly screamed and stumbled backward onto the floor. The dragon gave a startled roar in return as it pulled back. The sound of the roar and scream died away and in their place was the sound of someone shushing them both. A pair of blue eyes appeared over the top of the dragon's head, accompanied by a smirk.

"Vexx," Gly breathed. "You're… you're riding a dragon! It's not going to eat me, is it?"

Vexx rolled his eyes. The dragon sniffed indignantly.

Undermanned as he was, there was no way to keep the fortress secure. Larkin knew this. He had appealed for more soldiers on several occasions. He knew all of this had been a bad plan from the start. People do not simply disappear without someone coming to look for them, particularly people of high status. Of course an Astaran warrior with those cursed talons would have to appear and, apparently, release all the dragons from the dungeons. Not exactly the disaster he had imagined, but it was fitting. A single man was causing his whole fortress to crumble around him.

Master Larkin stopped in his pacing. He turned his head to look over his shoulder as a dragon stalked into the chamber. He gave a small chuckle as he turned and saw who sat upon the beasts' back. "There you are. Coming after me, then?"

Vexx slid from the dragons' back and advanced across the floor. The whole of the room was trembling as the dragons swept through the structure to reap havoc. He did not have much time and he knew it.

"What do you hope to accomplish here?" Larkin demanded. When he was given no answer, he elaborated. "Are you here to take someone back? Are you some defender of dragons looking for glory in the wrong places?" He took a slow step forward, sounding even more agitated. "Or have you figured it out already? Do you know more of what is happening here than even I do? Why have I been sent to this god forsaken place? Tell me!"

"He doesn't talk," Gly stated from his seat on the back of the dragon. "He can't."

Larkin gave a deep sigh. "Of course. That would be my luck." Larkin stood tall. "Alright then. Get on with it."

Flexing his hands into fists, Vexx launched into the attack. Master Larkin spun and dodged, incredibly agile on his long legs. Vexx found that every punch he threw met with nothing but air. Flips, spins, turns, springing off of walls, one right after the other, Larkin evaded.

"You're holding back," Larkin snapped at Vexx after a time. Vexx quirked a brow as if to tell him the same, being that the man had yet to actually attack. Larkin grinned from beneath his hood. "Why do you restrain yourself?" His answer was in the form of a slashing arm with a blue aura. Even this attack was avoided. "I see," Larkin breathed between dodging. "You don't actually want to kill me, you want answers out of me as well. I can honestly say that I have no idea what is going on. I was ordered to capture choice people, nothing more. If you wish for anything deeper than that, you're out of luck."

Vexx replied with a growl of frustration and a quick series of swings. A slicing sound came, Larkin stumbled in his landing. He gripped his side and came to one knee, wincing. Vexx stood over him, menacing, gathering power in his fist. Larkin gave a dry laugh. "I'm just a puppet. You're wasting your time. Kill me now."

The whole of the fortress suddenly lurched sideways. Vexx's hand met with the floor as he caught himself before he could do a nosedive. "Let's go!" Gly barked out. The dragon was shifting nervously on his feet, eyeing the exit. Vexx moved his gaze to where Larkin had been, only to find the man up on his feet and fleeing. The warrior growled through his teeth and was quick to send a blast of energy to follow him. Gly covered his own eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

"Stay calm," Kiri shouted out, struggling to keep the fear out of her voice. Her hands danced across the cage controls in a pattern she was getting very used to by now. The rock she was sitting on lurched into motion, starting a decent that was much slower than the first time. Kiri leaned over the edge of the cage and called down, "When you get close to the ground, jump out! I won't be here to stop the cage!" The prisoners in the cage tried to protest, but their words did not reach her over the sound of dragons howling and portions of the structure falling all around them.

Kiri gathered up her skirt and hastily tucked the ends up into her belt. She sighted the next cage over. "You can do this," she murmured. Her feet sprinted her across the stone platform and she launched herself through the air. The stone and its cage seemed to rise up to meet here, only to turn up short. Kiri saw the startled faces of the prisoners as she fell past them. She reached for them to no avail and started her free-fall toward the desert below. The scream that escaped from her throat was suddenly cut short as she met with something that knocked the wind from her.

"Careful!" a voice shouted, "She's a girl!"

"Watch," Kiri coughed out, "your tone, boy." She then realized that she was snapping at someone when she had yet to really know what or who had saved her. Her gaze turned upward to see the underbelly of a dragon whose claws she rested in. The creature was heading downward to escape through the crack in the bottom of the fortress.

Kiri clung on to the arm of the creature and shouted, "The others! We can't leave them behind!" After a pause, there was a loud whistle. Other dragons came swooping in, landing on the cages and ripping the bars open. Some prisoners took the rescue graciously while others screamed or even fainted. Kiri breathed a sigh of relief. "Why are you saving me?" she shouted up to the dragon, unsure if he was really the one who had been speaking. "Not to sound ungrateful, but you kind of brought me here in the first place."

"Just hold tight," the voice replied. "We'll talk after we land."

Kiri cranked her head to watch as the fortress disappeared behind them, toppling and crumbing, falling away into the mists that surrounded Dragonreach. Clouds of sand masked the sky as portions of the structure met with the desert floor. The dragons were all lightly touching down atop a cliff. Those who had passengers were ever so gentile. As Kiri's feet met with the sand, she turned to look up at the dragon. "Thank you very much, sir."

"You're welcome?" Gly's voice came in the unsure reply.

She realized that it was not the dragon who spoke and turned her gaze to its back. Her face lit up, "Vexx!" The moment his boots hit the ground, Kiri pounced upon him, hugging him tightly. Vexx made a bit of a squeak sound in his surprise. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," Kiri whispered into his neck. She then realized how inappropriate he seemed to think this act was and politely took a step back, repeating once more, "Thank you."

"Uhm, hi. I'm Gly," the man said timidly, feeling rather left out of this victory. It was disappointing that his grand adventure was to come to an end like this, but he couldn't really complain much, being that he was alive and Kiri was safe.

The dragon reared up and gave a warning call. Other dragons joined into the call, all of their gazes transfixed upon an army that was advancing through the night. Leading that army was Ahden.

Kiri smiled and cupped her hands around her mouth, "Just in time to be too late, my friend!"

Ahden came up the slope to meet her, the remainder of the army lingering behind, gazing in awe as they suddenly found themselves surrounded by dragons. "The threat has been eliminated, then?"

"It has," Kiri nodded. "I believe these creatures," she indicated to the dragon beside her, "are on our side."

Ahden turned his gaze to the dragon, meeting it almost face-to-face with his height advantage. He then bowed his head. "Mighty dragon, we humbly request that your kind return to this land that bears your name. We have long regretted the passing of the last dragon here. Please consider our offer of peace."

The dragon pulled back, seeming surprised and perhaps even embarrassed. It turned its attention to a nearby dragon, one who was much larger than it. This dragon stepped forward, eyeing Ahden suspiciously. Its gaze turned to the army that stretched before it. Finally, it looked back to Ahden a final time before throwing its head back and howling out a call that the others quickly took up. It bowed its head low to Ahden before it sauntered away across the sands.

"Was that a yes?" Kiri asked. Vexx nodded knowingly.

The sounds of rejoice filled the desert night. The dragons agreed to return the people to their homelands. Ahden's people swore an oath to never again hunt dragons, but rather to join with them in reclaiming the land of Dragonreach. Yet amid all of the celebration going on, Vexx was nowhere to be seen. Gly and Kiri realized this and searched for him. They didn't have to look far. He was at the edge of Dragonreach's landmass, gazing down into the mist as the sun started to rise. He was looking for any sign of the fortress that had disappeared over that edge, unable to shake the feeling that he had not heard the last of all of this. There was too much left unanswered.

Kiri spoke softly, "Are you alright?"

Vexx's ears perked and he turned his head quickly. He nodded in a not entirely convincing manner.

Gly stretched and yawned. "Well, if I'm tired, I know you're about ready to fall on your face," he said. "Come on, let's head home."

Once more Vexx nodded, but he dared a last glance over the cliff side. This was not over. Not by a long shot.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The sundial pushed away many moons after the fortress had disappeared. At first, everyone was on edge. The number of guards posted around the village and the Rift Hub increased drastically. Then people started to settle into their lives again. Paranoia ebbed. By the time Spring gave way to full blown Summer, life had returned to normal.

The village of Overwood was a bustle with celebration. People joined together in dance and song within the orchards, weaving between the trees. The dirt streets were lined with booths where artisans were selling their wares. The smell of freshly baked pasties and roasted meats could be caught at every corner. The festival of the village's rebirth was underway.

Village Chieftain Karik stood proudly with his daughter at his side, an arm about her shoulders. Kiri had a sweet smile upon her face, but beneath it, one could see nervousness. There had been rumors about that Kiri was going to make her first declaration as the future leader of the village and everyone was curious as to what she would say. Karik let no one know other than saying in a pleased manner, "She has a plan for the future of our people."

As Karik was once again bragging to a friend of his about his daughter, Kiri politely excused herself and slipped away. She picked up her long skirt and hurried a short ways down the street to where she had spotted Gly. "Greetings, my friend," she chirped to him.

"Hello, Kiri," Gly smiled in return. "How are you?"

"Very well, thank you," Kiri replied quickly and in a not very convincing manner through her nerves. "I have a speech to give later, and I am a bit nervous about that," she admitted to him quietly as she tucked her hair back behind her ears. She didn't allow a pause for comment before asking, "Have you heard from Vexx? Uh, figuratively, of course. Do you know if he's coming to the celebration?"

"He's already here," Gly replied, turning and pointing to the edge of the orchard.

Vexx was perched within the nook of an apple tree. Its branches reached toward the sky like sprawled fingers, and Vexx sat within what would have been the palm of this hand built by nature. His elbows rested upon his knees. He had a light piece of cloth about his shoulders, fastened over his chest. It hung down on his arms to just past his finger tips, concealing the Astani War Talons. He usually wore such a thing when he came into the village in an attempt to make himself less frightening to the inhabitance.

Kiri's hand jutted into the air and she waved enthusiastically to the warrior. Vexx's ear perked as he sat up a bit upon seeing her. Seeming a bit reluctant, he lifted a hand and waved in return. Kiri giggled, "He's so shy."

"Reclusive is more the term," Gly replied. "I don't think he likes people very much."

As if on cue, a group of children suddenly bolted across the orchard and headed right for where Vexx was sitting. Ever on-guard, Vexx's fierce eyes quickly turned to the sound of the running. The children began to run and bounce around the tree while the oldest one of them planted himself directly in front of Vexx. "Where is Gly?" he practically demanded, "We wanna hear the story of how you saved Kiri!" When Vexx lifted a skeptical brow in reply, the boy elaborated, "Reema and Daun haven't ever heard it yet. C'mon, where is he?" With a small sigh, Vexx pointed in the direction of the man. Much to his surprise, the moment his arm was out in the open, the young boy latched on to it, wrapping his own arm firmly around the metal guard of the War Talons. "See? See?" he told his friends as he pulled back the cloth concealing the weapons, "I told you!"

The children all stood in awe, a chorus of disbelieving words flooding the circle.

"Hey, hey!" Gly's voice came, "What're you little scamps doing?"

The boy promptly let go of Vexx's arm. The metal hand disappeared beneath the folds of cloth twice as fast.

"Tell us the story again, Gly!" the boy demanded.

"Alright, alright," Gly told them and every child there was quickly sitting on the ground. Vexx suppressed a sigh as he realized he was surrounded. Gly took a seat in the grass alongside the children, right at the base of the tree where Vexx sat, and retold the tale, which Vexx felt sounded so much more heroic coming from Gly. Having lived it wasn't nearly as exciting. Then came the part when they were hanging on the window sill outside the interrogation room. From there, Vexx could hardly recognize it anymore.

"I wasn't strong enough to climb," Gly told the children, "So Vexx carried me on his back all the way up the side of the fortress. When we got to a window to the kitchen, we slipped inside. But see, we were in such a hurry to get in…" he paused for effect, "we didn't notice that we weren't alone." Again there was a pause as all of the children's backs tensed and their ears stood at attention. Then came the moment that they were waiting for as Gly screamed, "WHAM! There was a guard! He hit me with his huge fist and then came at me with a kitchen knife. I threw my arm up to protect my face," and as Gly spoke these words, he made the motion as well. There were lines across his forearm where the thin fur had grown back white, showing the scars. He never spoke a word about their true origins, and while Vexx was greatful for that, there was still a pang of guilt every time he heard the cover-up story.

As Gly continued his tale and claimed to have been rendered unconscious by a blow to the head rather than having passed out from shock, Vexx's attention moved away from the man. Kiri approached the tree from the side and peered through the branches at Vexx. "I'm glad you decided to come to the celebration," she whispered so as to not interrupt. "Will you be going to the river as well?" Vexx nodded and she continued, "You'd better stay for my announcement. It's really important and affects you, too." Doubtful, Vexx nodded again.

One of the children piped up suddenly, "But Gly, if you weren't there, how do you really know what Vexx did with the dragons?"

"Well, I don't know all the details," Gly stated matter-of-factly, "But I gathered enough of what happened to guess."

"Why can't Vexx tell us the story?" another child whined.

"Vexx doesn't talk," Gly replied.

"Why not?" another whine came.

"Yes, why not?" the voice of an adult suddenly came. All eyes turned to Karik, who stood with his arms folded and looking very disapproving. "Funny little problem there, isn't it?" Everyone was silent during the stare-down between the warrior and the chieftain. Each glared distrust and anger right through the other, but it was Vexx who ended things. With a growl of annoyance, he tore his gaze away from the staring match and slipped down from the tree. The children leaned out of his way as he stormed off from them. "Well," Karik said, addressing Kiri, "We'd better get everyone moving down to the river."

"Dad," Kiri warned him through her teeth. When he met her with an innocent look, she indicated in the direction Vexx had gone.

"Oh, don't worry about him, he'll be fine. Come now." Karik took his daughter by the arm and hauled her off with him in search of a harold to announce that it was time for the river trek.

"Mother, we miss you every day. You are always in my thoughts, especially when things are difficult. I do my best to be strong, as you were," Kiri murmured as she stood beside the river banks. Her voice joined in with the clamor of countless others as they all whispered their own prayers to the waters. She paused to glance at her father, who stood beside her, speaking too quietly to hear. She closed her eyes and continued quietly, "I will make you proud of me. Today, I will make you very proud, mother. I love you." With these last words, Kiri knelt upon the bank and set a large purple flower in the running waters. She let her hands slip away from it and watched it float away down the river, joining other flowers of many different types and colors as they bobbed away on the crystal waters. She knew that the tokens from loved ones would be carried off down the cliffs, through the land of Timberdale, and finally spill over the edge of their fragment of world to disappear into the mists below. There the messages would be carried to their departed loved ones.

As the sky was painted fire colors by the sunset, people slowly started to drift from the river banks and move back toward the village. Kiri turned her attention to the low position of the sun. Night was supposed to come soon. She had to give her speech as soon as they got back. A great knot tied in her stomach as she wondered what the reaction would be from her people. She had a daring plan in mind and feared it would not be well received, but it was necessary. That much she was sure of. With a deep breath, she spun about and promptly ran into Gly. The two took a moment to regain their balance and distance themselves from each other, muttering apologies that were followed by silence.

"I, uh, have to go now," Kiri said, "My speech and all."

"Right, right," Gly replied, "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Fine. I'm fine, thanks," Kiri replied. Her attention was then grabbed by a figure a ways down the bank. Gly followed her gaze.

Vexx stood alone beside the water, staring down at it. Now that everyone had left, the only sound was that of the river as it ran past. Both onlookers were silent, but each sensed that they were witness to something personal and secretive. The polite thing to do would be to quietly leave. Without a word, they each quietly hid instead.

The Astani War Talons slipped out from beneath the shawl that hid them. Held carefully between his fingers was a blue wild flower. Vexx had no voice with which to send a prayer to those beyond the grave. However, he had something meaningful to tell them all the same. Closing his eyes, he held the flower against his chest, feeling his own heart beating. He lifted the petals to his mouth and lightly breathed on them, feeling the warmth of it on his hand. These were signs that he was very much alive, and that was something that he owed to his grandfather. Placing a light kiss on the flower, he let it fall from his hand and into the water. His keen eyes watched it until it disappeared around the river bend. Even then he stood still as a statue, gazing off as if searching for something.

"I'm going to be late," Kiri whispered to Gly. Taking her hint, he slipped away after her, headed back to the village.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven**

"Greetings, my people," Karik's voice boomed out. The crowd fell into a hush as it was clear that announcements were about to be made. The sun was no longer visible over the mountains and the last shreds of light were starting to fade. Kiri rocked back and fourth on her feet as she watched the horizon. She could feel the tension and confusion all around her. She hoped that her father would be brief in his introduction.

"As you all know, my daughter Kiri has a special announcement to make today. She has been working hard on a plan to help our village and further the prosperity of our people. It is a plan that is complex and simple all at once, and your acceptance of it will benefit us all."

Kiri rolled her eyes. He wasn't planning on keeping this short-winded. This couldn't keep going or she would burst. She stepped up beside her father and said politely, "May I tell them, please?" With a mutter that could have been an apology and could have been annoyance, Karik stepped aside. Kiri's eyes searched the crowd as she began, "Thank you all for being here this evening." They weren't all there, she realized. She still didn't see Vexx anywhere. Her brow furrowed a moment before she could think to not let it. "You have all been kept long enough, so I will get to the point." Where could he be? Was he still at the river? Did he just go home? "Long have we battled with the forces of darkness, and we have not always come out on top. We keep them at bay with our sundials and our guardian." Who had conveniently decided to skip this speech. "But is it really the right course of action, to always be fighting them?" She specifically told him to come. She was going to have to have a word with him later, give him a piece of her mind. "We rely on our magic sundial to turn back the sun and keep us in daylight for as long as possible so that we can avoid confrontation with the creatures of the night while they are at their fullest power. We only allow night to set in for long enough to cool things down. But now we are attacked in the daylight. Our farmers have to be on guard, we have soldiers posted at all times, and the fear of assault is ever-present. Ironically, attacks seldom happen at night anymore. This needs to stop. Is it really our place to change the course of nature? To stop the natural cycle of night and day itself?"

There he was. She suddenly spotted Vexx then, and much to her surprise, he had just pushed his way to the front of the crowd. He stood before her, gazing at her in her place upon the quarried rock slab that served as an announcement stage. His blue eyes looked up at her with a harsh look of desperation. The gaze was so intense, that when she met it, her voice suddenly wavered. "Is… is it r-really our place, I ask you?" She took her eyes away from the warrior. "What I am proposing is a truce with the creatures of the night. The only way to achieve peace is to take the first step towards it ourselves. If we show them that we are willing to allow them their night, they will be more willing to allow us our daylight. We can stay indoors at night – which the majority of us already do, as well as staying indoors for periods of time in which we sleep. There will be no change other than the fact that nature will be allowed its course. Guards will remain posted, but I feel we will not need them so much as we may think."

Much to Kiri's surprise, Vexx suddenly hoisted himself up onto the stage to stand beside her. Two guards with spears came in to remove him, but all it took was a side glance from Vexx to stifle their motivation. He fixed Kiri with a stern gaze and she felt as if her stomach had just slid away to places unknown. The warrior slowly shook his head in disapproval.

"Can we discuss this later?" Kiri whispered to him as she shrank back.

"What do you think you're doing?" Karik demanded, "Stand down! Let my daughter speak!"

Vexx shot the man an angry glare and bared his teeth in warning. His attention returned to Kiri as he awaited a better response from her.

"This will work, Vexx," Kiri told him. "I know you're concerned, as you should be. Please, trust me, we need to make peace with the darkness. Our world is damaged enough as it is, we don't need to risk burning it out by never allowing the sun to rest."

Once more, Vexx just shook his head.

Kiri stomped a foot, suddenly finding her courage again. She stood tall and glared right back at Vexx. "We are doing this. As we speak, night is setting in and I intend to allow it to. The creatures of the darkness can and will be reasoned with. Maybe you are too afraid to extend a gesture of peace to them, but I am not!"

Vexx huffed at her in reply, but he did not stand down.

"This is my village, Vexx," Kiri told him darkly, "If you have an opinion…. voice it."

Blue eyes widened and Vexx's teeth clinched. A growl rose in his throat before growing to a shout of frustration. He finally turned his attention up the hill, where the sundial was housed, and his feet quickly followed his gaze.

"Don't you dare do it!" Kiri shouted after him, "This is my decree! The sundial is an evil thing of the past! Go near it, and you will be banished!" Vexx slowly turned to face her as she continued, "I know that you have a vendetta against the darkness. Whatever happened to you during your time in the shadow realm, I want for you to put it aside and give me a chance to fix things. Can you do that for me?"

Vexx's eyes turned to the horizon where the last light of the sun was slowly fading way. Finally, with another growl and a huff, he turned about and headed away down the dirt roads of the village.

Kiri breathed a small sigh as the villagers shifted about nervously. Things were not going as she had hoped. "I request," she spoke out again, "That everyone return to their homes and stay indoors. The guards will be posted and we will see what happens tonight. You are dismissed."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

The repeated sound of steel upon steel rang through the rolling hills in the late evening. Gly swung his sword over and over again, trying to just move fast enough to get a decent shot in. Each swing was deflected by the Astani War Talons as if it were nothing. The blade bounced harmlessly off of the arm guards and blade fingers. With a huff, Gly stepped back and planted the blade's tip into the ground, leaning on it heavily.

"Why do you keep insisting on this?" he breathed, "It doesn't matter how long you try to train me, I'm not a swordsman. I'm an archer. I'm much better at finding a high point and taking out my target from there, where I don't have to… you know, actually fight him."

Vexx's eyes narrowed and he assumed a battle stance once again. Gly sighed deeply and forced himself to lift the sword, which felt much heavier now than when they had started. He paused and inspected the blade. "It's chipped now. Father's going to have to fix it. He'll wring my neck if I break another one, you know."

To stop his whining, Vexx launched into the attack. Gly gave a cry of surprise as he threw the sword up to block. Vexx stopped before he even met with the blade, which was not held up with enough force to actually have blocked anything. The warrior held his forehead and sighed deeply as he watched Gly cringing. With a shake of his head and a dismissing hand motion, Vexx walked away from their training ground.

A cool breeze was carried on the night wind. The whole of the village was eerily silent and a tension hung in the air. The soft footsteps following him across the hills were easy for Vexx to hear. The warrior rolled his eyes and quickly made his way up the wooden watch tower that stood as an ancient guard post for the village. He turned his attention out into the settling darkness, searching for any indication that there was anything foul afoot.

"Are you nocturnal now?" Gly asked as he reached the top of the ladder after him. "You've been out here every night since this started. When do you sleep? It's been, what? Nearly a fortnight?"

In reply, Vexx gave a slow nod, eyes still searching for the danger he knew was out there.

"Nothing's happened. At all. Don't you think that maybe Kiri could be right? Maybe the night things were only attacking because they knew we were the ones holding back the dark? Maybe they'll leave us alone now."

Vexx sighed deeply and let his head fall against the wooden railing he was leaning on. None of this felt right. He could understand Kiri's reasoning in that it probably wasn't a good idea to adjust the natural cycle, but the fact remained that such a practice had started for a very good reason. He had lived among the darkness for longer than he really wanted to remember. He knew the potential these creatures had to damage and manipulate. His people were not warriors, they were primarily farmers. Even the soldiers that Karik had appointed were new to the task for defending a village, and while their hearts were in it full-force, he very much doubted that they actually had the skills it would take. Things would not end well should the creatures of the night launch an assault.

Vexx jumped slightly as a hand fell upon his shoulder. Gly pulled away very quickly. "M-maybe you should just go home? There's really no sense in you being out on patrol. Everything's been peaceful. Karik and Kiri even cut down the number of guards posted." To this, Vexx's spine shot straight. Gly was surprised to find the expression on Vexx's face was one well described as a look of terror. The warrior leapt down from the watchtower and was rocketing himself across the village one giant leap at a time before Gly could even say another word.

"What are you so upset about?" Kiri asked Vexx in hushed tones as he stood on her front doorstep, a hand upon each side of the doorframe. "There's really no reason for you to be worried so much. I understand that you are our village guardian, but really, Vexx, give it a rest. Nothing has happened. We are safe." As she spoke, Vexx was shaking his head. This disapproving motion started out slow and grew more insistent as her words went on until she suddenly reached out, grabbing both sides of his face and hissing, "Will you hold still? The sundial is out of commission and that is final."

"Kiri?" Karik's drowsy voice came from within the home, "Who's at the door?"

Vexx saw Kiri's eyes grow wide as wagon wheels before she suddenly disappeared from his sight and was replaced by a stinging pain in his nose. He stumbled back and held his face with one hand, glaring at the door that had hit him. He wanted to growl and scream and cuss and maybe even break down her door. This was definitely not a socially acceptable option, but it would certainly make him feel better. However, his aggravation ended up playing out in the form of some flailing of his fists and a prominent stamp of his foot on the ground. With only a small growl under his breath, Vexx stomped off down the road, intent on heading back to his home in the forest.

Vexx decided then that Kiri was a prefect example of how the world was just flat-out not fair. Her hair was like onyx with gold inlay, and it cascaded down her back like silk. Her eyes shone like dark amber held before a fire. Her voice rang out like a crystal bell. She was tall, had long legs, and all the grace of a lady. Not to mention she was stunning in a corset. In short, Kiri was absolutely beautiful, and Vexx thought it tragic that she didn't have the personality to match.

What a horrid, stupid woman she was, coming up with such a plan. She'd never spent a night out on her own in her life, how was she to possibly know the dangers of the night creatures? She had no idea what she was getting everyone into. Undoubtedly, things were running well so far, but this was only temporary. Calling off the guards? The village would soon lie in ruin and it would all ultimately be her fault. Someone needed to talk some sense into that girl's head and he certainly wasn't going to be the one to do it.

There was a sharp pain upside his head and Vexx went reeling to the ground. In the fleeting moments afterward, some old words of wisdom from his grandfather Vargas came to mind. "Nothing can make you drop your guard like a woman can." He shook off the blow quickly and was back on his feet, in search of what had hit him. He didn't have to look far. Creeping out from behind trees and in the shadows all around him were all manner of dark creatures. Grimkins, Hulks, Puggles, Skinx, and many creatures that had previously been under the command of Dark Yabu. The one that had assaulted him was a Shadowcreep, and it was circling back for another round. Vexx was on-guard this time and the creature did not fair well.

As the warrior slid into position to take on whatever might come at him next, a distant scream came to his ears. He spun back around in the direction of the village only to find he was now surrounded. The panicked sounds continued in the distance, carried on the night wind, and the faint glow of fire was visible on the horizon. Vexx's eyes grew wide as he saw this. Part of him had completely been expecting it, yes, but he was still dismayed to see it. The warrior wasted no time in blasting through the creatures in his path and rushing back to the village.

Atop a hill, silhouetted against one of the rising moons of Astara, was a cloaked figure mounted atop a beast of burden. He watched Vexx barreling through the forest, War Talons swinging and flaring at every adversary in his path. The cloaked figure lifted a hand and pointed down at the warrior, speaking in a voice that was deep and smooth, "He's the one."


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen**

Chaos had erupted all around her. Kiri moved swiftly though the streets of the village. It didn't matter that the voice of her father screaming at her to come back was fading into the distance. It didn't matter that her feet were bare. It didn't even matter that she was wearing nothing but her chemise. Nothing mattered but her objective.

He had tried to warn her, in his own way of doing things. Of course he had come off as hostile, how else was a man with no voice with which to speak supposed to get his point across? The plan would still work, of course. The place where she had really gone wrong was in the fact that she had cut down on the number of guards posted. These creatures could still be reasoned with. She just needed more time to figure out how to do so.

First things first.

Gly's house was on fire.

"Gly! Giles!" Kiri screamed into the flames, calling for her friend and his father. She backed away as the flames flared up near her. Villagers started dousing buckets of water on the blaze. Smoke rose all around and she covered her mouth against it.

A strong hand suddenly grabbed her arm and hauled her backward, a gruff voice saying, "Watch yourself, girl! Can't you see that place is on fire?" Kiri turned to find herself staring up at Giles, the village blacksmith. Gly stood at his side, gazing in stunned silence at the pandemonium all around him.

"Are either of you hurt?" Kiri was quick to ask.

"Just fine, miss Kiri," Giles replied, "A little crispier than usual, but we'll live. What in the world are you doing running toward burning houses dressed like that?" He pulled off the vest he was wearing and held it out for Kiri to put on.

"I had to make sure you two had gotten out safely," she replied breathlessly as she slipped her arms in. The vest hung loosely about her shoulders and she gripped it in the middle to keep it in place.

"Where's Vexx?" Gly suddenly asked as if he had just awakened from a very disturbing nightmare.

"He left my house a while ago," Kiri replied before she could think not to. The lifted brow and smirk she got from Giles was promptly ignored. "I haven't seen him since." Her ears perked at the sound of a battle cry not far off. The noise was unmistakable. Their village guardian was hard at work. Before she could say anything more, Gly bolted off down the road. "Be careful!" Kiri called after him, "Don't get in his way!"

"Fine mess this is," Giles scratched his head, watching his house burn to the ground. "At least I've still got the forge."

Kiri wasn't listening to him. "I'll be back, stay out of trouble," she said before darting off down the street and disappearing through the smoke.

"Well," Giles shrugged to himself as he watched her, "Guess I'll just stay here, then."

As Gly rushed past startled villagers and soldiers who were fighting back the dark creatures, he could hear Vexx's battle cry. All other noises dulled in his ears as he concentrated on the one. Rounding a corner, he ran rather literally into a group of soldiers.

"What are you doing?" a warrior woman barked at Gly. He recognized her from the practice range, and apparently, it was mutual recognition. "There are monsters everywhere!" she told him as she thrust her bow and quiver into Gly's hands. "Find a good vantage-point, make yourself useful," she ordered before charging off with sword in hand.

Another angry growl came over the night air. Gly was once again running at full kilter as he slung the quiver onto his back. He notched an arrow to the bowstring, knowing he would need it.

A herd of Knunks who were rampaging about the village square were being dispersed by the Astani War Talons. Never had Vexx seen so many of them in one place, let alone in his village. The ground shook with the force of the energy blasts he cast down upon the creatures. By the time Gly caught sight of the scene, the remaining Krunks were scattering in favor of safer places. "Vexx!" Gly called out. The warrior lifted his gaze quickly, blue light flashing through his hands. When his gaze met Gly, he realized that the man's gaze was not doing the same. He was looking behind him.

Advancing across the square was a man in a dark cloak. He had an air about him that was similar to Master Larkin, only his stature was equal to that of an Astaran. Whether or not he was one of Vexx's kind was hard to say. Nothing of his features was visible, save for his eyes, which were glowing with an intense white light. Without looking back, Vexx put up a hand to signal to Gly that he should get out of there. Gly only backed up a ways, but remained in the square, watching.

The cloaked figure stopped just out of lunging range of the warrior and lifted an arm to point to him, the hand hidden beneath the long sleeve. "Vexx. I have come for you."

Vexx's eyes narrowed. He rolled his shoulders and neck before sliding into an on guard stance. He didn't know what this man wanted with him and didn't feel especially inclined to find out.

"I expected as much," the cloaked man chuckled. "Fine. Come get me."

Vexx launched into the attack, swinging his fists and letting the energy blades of the War Talons do the work. The cloaked man stepped backward with each advance, each time blocking the blades with his arms. The energy seemed to simply disperse when it made contact. With a growl, Vexx jumped back and sent an energy blast at the man. Rather than try to dodge, as Vexx expected, the man crouched down and threw his arms up to block. The ground did not shake, there was no explosion of power, it merely disappeared. The man came calmly back to his feet.

Nothing like this had happened before. Vexx blinked sharply as he stared at this creature before him. The man laughed quietly, "Given up yet?" When Vexx's reaction was to launch himself at the man again, another chuckle came and a quiet, "Good."

Energy attacks were clearly useless. Vexx came in swinging, slashing at the man, his talons zipping through the air so quickly it could be heard. Each time the swing ended with a clang of metal upon metal as the cloaked man blocked with his arms. The fact that his attacks were turning up futile made Vexx all the angrier. He continued to swing and punch, never landing a blow, always being blocked. His battle cries increased in intensity as his rage grew.

Without warning, the man swung in return. Vexx threw his shield arm up in haste. The blow met with the War Talon, the force of it knocking him off balance. He cried out in pain, although he was unsure as to why it had hurt so badly. Gly drew in his breath as he watched pieces of the Astani War Talons fly off and skid across the ground.

Vexx lifted his gaze as his opponent said, "My turn." Everything was a blur of motion. Vexx gasped as the punch met with his stomach. He stumbled back, trying to catch his breath, gripping his shield arm to his chest. He saw his own hand and his vision blurred as he realized that two of his blade fingers were severed.

oo0o0o0o0o0oo

Kiri scrambled up the grassy hillside, keeping her chemise lifted with one hand and balancing herself now and again with the other. Ahead of her, she could see guards locked in battle with Shadowcreeps. She forced herself to sprint the rest of the way, calling out, "Have they gotten inside?"

"No, m'lady!" a guard shouted out. "We have held them back!"

"Open the doors," Kiri ordered as she reached the top of the hill and nearly tripped over her skirt. "Quickly!"

A guard managed a moment between swings to spin about and sink his axe into the chain that held the double doors shut. Kiri dashed past them and into the tower, planting her feet firmly upon the round slab of stone that was their sundial. She bent her knees and focused her mind on the direction she wanted it to move. Daylight, she repeated in her mind. Daylight.

oo0o0o0o0o0oo

The cloaked man advanced upon Vexx once more, but stopped short as an arrow grazed past his head. His gaze snapped up sharply to meet with Gly, who was already drawing back the bowstring again. The man sidestepped the next shot, growling, "This has nothing to do with you! Mind your own business, boy!" Whatever else he was going to shout was cut short as Vexx swung for the man's stomach in an attempt to repay the favor. The attack was narrowly dodged and promptly countered with a backhand to the face. Vexx tumbled to the ground under the blow, his hearing cutting out in favor of a sharp ringing in his head for a time.

"The nightmare ends now," the cloaked man said lowly. He was too preoccupied to notice as the stars and moons suddenly lurched forward in the sky. Vexx noticed it from where he lay. He waited for his moment, watching as the cloaked man lifted a hand as if to cast a spell. The first grey light of morning cracked on the horizon. The cloaked man felt the power of night leave him the second before Vexx suddenly thrust up his hand and shot an energy blast. The blue power met with the man's stomach and passed through him, although it didn't seem to necessarily damage him. His form wavered, becoming almost like that of a Shadowcreep. And then he was gone, taking to the sky and disappearing over the rooftops.

Vexx gripped his shield arm to his chest and curled in on himself in pain.


	14. Chapter 14

_I have neglected to mention something important here; a mention of the people who inspire this story. No time like the present, so here we go. Firstly I will mention 'Formerly Known As,' who can be found here on ff . net and is a major encourager of the continuation of this tale. Thanks for always encouraging me and instigating. A lot of the traits that Vexx, Kiri, and Gly have taken on, I blame on her. Secondly, my room mate, who prods Vexx into action on occasion, even though she doesn't read fanficiton. She's a big help. Thirdly, a huge thanks to Butterfly-of-Pearls, who can be found on deviantArt. She's in the process of writing up a bunch of profiles for the villagers of Overwood, and her write up on Gly helped me a lot in developing him the extra step that he needed at the time. The archery was due to her inspiration. Finally, a thanks to the Vexx community on deviantArt, especially those who stay in contact with me. You know who you all are and every one of you has inspired this story in some form or another. Thanks for reading, and let's see this thing through to the end._

_So there's a high note to start off a rather short, grim chapter. Enjoy_!

**Chapter Fourteen**

"I'm really not so sure about this," Giles muttered, scratching his head.

"Well we can't just leave him like that," Gly replied quietly. "The healer doesn't know what to do, so now it falls on us."

Giles sighed and turned his attention back to the forge. He threw another log onto the fire and started stoking it further. "Go make sure he's ready then."

Gly moved over to where Vexx sat, slumped forward in his chair. He knelt beside the warrior and spoke softly, "Are you alright?" Vexx's reply was to lift his head enough to give him an unsteady glare that indicated he was not. Gly shifted uneasily. "You're sure you want to do this?" Vexx nodded before lifting the flask of brandy to his lips once again and downing the last of it. He then set it aside and placed his sword hand on the arm of the chair. Without a word, Gly set about lashing the arm down with ropes.

Vexx kept his eyes closed and repeated to himself in his mind that this was alright, he was among people who were there to help, and that the pain to come would be necessary. His head was swimming from the alcohol as it was and he wanted to make absolutely sure that the War Talons understood what was going on. They had acted of their own accord before and the last thing he wanted was to hurt someone now.

Having finished with the sword arm, Gly put a hand on Vexx's shoulder. Vexx only opened one eye, the gaze unfocused and distant. "You're _really_ sure?" Gly asked again. Closing his eyes once more, Vexx sighed and placed his shield arm on the table beside him, refusing to indicate if he was _really_ sure or not. Hesitant, Gly tied down the arm to the metal table. "We're ready, dad."

"Ya have him biting down on something?" Giles called.

Gly looked about quickly and found the cleanest wash rag he could. Rolling it upon itself, he offered it out to Vexx, who was more than happy to bite down on the thing. Hanging his head, Vexx kept his eyes closed. Gly set his hands on the man's shoulders and spoke quietly, "It'll be over soon."

"Here it goes," Giles said.

Vexx could feel heat coming closer to his severed fingers and he braced himself. His back arched sharply and the arm of the chair splintered under his claws.

While her home was a ways down the road, Kiri's ears perked at that sound of a distant scream. She listened for a moment, then pressed her hands to the sides of her head to block it out. Shaking from the thought of what was happening in the forge, she sank down into a chair and wept.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen**

Kiri felt as if she had always known Vexx, but when she really thought about it, it was more accurate to say that she had always known _of_ him. Growing up, he had been distanced from her by the few summers' worth of age gap, but this was not the primary factor that made her keep her distance in those days. The village guardian's grandson was a mystery. The other children would speak of this boy who had no parents, whispering rumors as to what tragedy had struck to make them disappear. No one really knew the truth. She was willing to bet that no one ever would know.

The few times that she had encountered Vexx back then had seemed like nothing important. He was kind enough, a bit skittish perhaps, but well-meaning. All the same, things tended to get awkward while he was about. Before long, one of the older children – one within Vexx's own age group – would start to bully and pester him. This always escalated into a fight, forcing Kiri and her friends to run off and retrieve an adult to settle it. She hated the fights. She would demand and beg that the harasser leave Vexx alone, only for the sake of not having to hear the boy scream like that. It was as if all of the talking he couldn't do would bundle itself up somewhere inside him and escape in those screams of rage. While he was never screaming at her, the sound of it frightened her so much that it often made her cry.

She asked her mother about Vexx once, seeking answers for why it was that this strange boy never spoke, but instead would growl, scream, and grunt. Her mother gave her a smile that held not joy and replied, "Some people are just made differently."

After a while, Vexx disappeared altogether. He stayed close to his grandfather and had no interest in playing with the other children. Kiri had thought this sad, but she also figured that it was his decision to make and went about her games with her friends. She didn't think much of Vexx for many summers to come.

The next time she saw Vexx was a day forever etched in the minds of all of her people. She had been in the slave keep, resting after a long day's work within the mines, when her father suddenly rushed in, a bundle of keys in hand, and started opening the cages. Their people were free again. Dark Yabu was surely dead. It had been suspected for some time, when the master had disappeared into the Shadow Realm and had not returned for many moons. Yabu's soldiers, desperate to discover the fate of their leader, had found a way to reopen the rift. Karik reported that the moment they did so, something leapt out of the darkness and proceeded to rip the guards to pieces. He took advantage of the chaos and stole the keys from a fallen guard. Now was the time for them to escape, before the beast from the dark got them as well.

Kiri remembered the strange mix of joy and fear she felt as she ran out of the mine along-side her father, finally breathing in fresh air for the first time in what felt like an eternity. Suddenly, Karik stopped short, gazing with fear at the figure in their path.

"That's it!" Karik said, standing firmly in front of his daughter, "That's the monster from the Shadow Realm!"

There was a young man with blood coating his body standing a stone's throw away. His shoulders heaved with every breath he took as he moved one forced step at a time toward them. Piercing blue eyes locked on her and he lifted a metal hand as if reaching for the group.

A stunned murmur washed over the crowd, and Kiri was among those to say, "That's Vexx." Kiri covered her mouth with her hand, staring wide-eyed. She had always held a certain degree of fear for Vexx. Seeing him in such a light, that fear turned to pure terror.

A few days later, she dared a peek into his room at the healer's house. He lay sleeping, peaceful, although the War Talons rested lightly upon his chest. They were horrific artifacts of legend, created by the violent and dreadful Astani of old. No one knew at that time that he couldn't remove them, so his refusal to do so was viewed as a sign that he had been corrupted by them. Now she knew better. Whatever twist of fate had lead him to the relic would never be known, but it was clear that they were now a part of him.

A hand on her shoulder shook Kiri from her thoughts. Gly stood at her side, peering into Kiri's room, where Vexx lay in the bed, looking so similar to that day so long ago.

"He's still asleep," she whispered.

Gly nodded. "As he should be." There was a pause before he added, "Your father wants to speak with you."

"What about?" Kiri asked.

"I'm not sure. He seems upset. I think he wants to start planning the next move."

"Well, we can't very well plan anything without Vexx," Kiri replied in a quiet, matter-of-fact tone.

From the bed, Vexx breathed a deep sigh. He pushed the covers aside and slid his bare feet onto the floor. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he paused a moment with his head hung.

Surprised, Kiri moved into the room. "You should stay resting," she said kindly, "I didn't mean to wake you."

Vexx lifted his eyes to her, his face pale as death, even through his fur. He shook his head and came to his feet, cradling his newly repaired hand. In spite of the protest he got, Vexx moved one step at a time into the common room of Kiri's home. Karik was there, leaning upon the dinning table, along with Giles, who stood from his chair when he saw Vexx enter. The warrior moved to the corner of the room where rolls of blankets and animal hides lay for sitting and he settled comfortably into them.

Kiri knelt near him. "Would you like something to eat?" He shook his head no. "Some tea maybe?" He paused before indicating yes. Kiri moved to the hearth to set some water boiling.

Karik twisted to watch her over his shoulder. "We need to talk."

Kiri glanced up. "I'm here. Let's talk."

After taking a moment to ponder if he really wanted to discuss things while there was company in the room, Karik finally spoke. "What do you plan on doing now?"

"How do you mean?" Kiri replied, busying herself with her task of making tea.

"With the sundial," Karik told her, keeping his voice even and calm. "Have we decided it was a failed plan or are you going to attempt it again?"

Kiri considered this for a moment before saying, "Clearly it is too dangerous to attempt to restore the cycle at this current point in time. I would like to try again later. First there is the matter of the cloaked man. Perhaps he is the one we need to speak with. If he knows that we are attempting to extend a gesture of peace, he may be more inclined to negotiate."

"You suggest that we should negotiate with that savage?" Karik turned to look at her full.

Kiri sighed and turned her gaze now that the kettle was set. "Really, father, I don't know how you ever expect to achieve good relations with our neighboring races when you continue to insist that they are all mindless savages."

"They have given me no reason to think otherwise."

"Maybe you have given them no chance to do so," Kiri shot back. She moved to the cupboard and asked the room at large, "Does anyone else want tea?"

Gly and Giles both politely declined, shifting nervously as they listened to the accelerating debate.

Kiri plunked two ceramic cups on the table beside her father. "What I propose now is that we keep the sun up for as long as we can. This way we can buy time for Vexx to heal a bit before we confront the cloaked man again."

"I don't see why we need to do that," Karik grumbled.

Kiri cocked her hip as she crossed her arms. "You don't?" she asked skeptically, "What part?"

"Why should we have to wait for him to recover? We have soldiers," Karik replied.

"Yes," Kiri spoke as if Karik were three years old. "Soldiers who, when caught off-guard, did their best to protect our village and failed against the darkness. Vexx is the only one with experience in these matters."

Karik interrupted, "So we assume. It's not as if we can exactly hear his side of the story."

"Now that's hardly fair," Kiri said.

"It's true," Karik retorted, "We all assume an awful lot about what exactly he has done in life. We have no way of knowing unless someone was there to witness it, and as far as events in the Shadow Realm go, we have no one to tell us. We don't know where those talons came from, we don't know how he ended up in the Shadow Realm to begin with, we don't even know for sure that he was the one to eliminate Dark Yabu."

"Who else could it have been?" Kiri planted her hands on the table. "Are you suggesting that some other unseen hero went to the Shadow Realm and killed Yabu, while Vexx being there at that time was just a coincidence?"

"I'm not ruling anything out," Karik replied.

"You're certainly ruling out the fact that Vexx is the best asset we have for defeating the darkness."

"No one said that was a fact!"

"Does anyone actually _need_ to say it?"

"You are not giving our soldiers enough credit, Kiri. Give them time to prepare, the next time we will be ready for the assault."

"I'm not doubting that, all I'm saying is that we do need Vexx's help if we really want to stand a chance."

"Why are you so fixated on him? He's not some great, shining last hope! He's an outcast from our society."

"He is our village guardian! It's his sworn duty!"

"You can't swear a duty if you can not speak."

Vexx's half-open eyes moved back and forth between the two as they spoke. He blinked sharply as he wondered how it was that they could just carry on like that as if he wasn't even in the room. He didn't have the energy to protest.

"It's a duty that has been handed down through the generation, he doesn't need to speak to take it on, he just has to do it, which he has been doing, and I don't understand why you have to doubt him so much!" Kiri took in a deep breath and let it out with a huff.

"I still don't trust him. You saw him the day of our escape! He was in a murderous rage! He as hardly even Astaran anymore! The claws or the Shadow Realm, something changed him. How does one simply disappear for so many moons and then return from a place of such darkness without any help?"

Gly suddenly chimed in forcefully, "Maybe he's just that good."

Karik's attention snapped to Gly. Everyone had thought his tone had been harsh with Kiri, but it was infinitely more callous now that he was speaking to someone who was not his own kin. "Bold words from you, liar!"

"Father!" Kiri snapped at him.

Karik advanced on Gly quickly, "You were with him in Dragonreach. I have heard you tell the tale of it so many times, and it is flawed!" The village leader grasped Gly's arm and held it up, showing that his fingers aligned perfectly with the pale scars in the fur. "Such a coincidence, that the fortress chef can swing a kitchen knife in the pattern of a hand."

There was a pause before Gly replied flatly, "It was a guard."

"A guard? In the kitchen? With a kitchen knife?"

"Yes," Gly said hollowly, "Now let go of my arm."

Karik did so roughly. "He is dangerous. I don't even like him in my house."

"He saved my life, father," Kiri stated.

"From what you have told me, you had things well under control yourself. All he would have done was bring the whole fortress down on your heads!"

Kiri slammed her hands hard upon the table and spat, "I didn't exactly see you rushing to my rescue, father!"

A silence hit the room like a rock through a window. Karik's mouth gapped. "How dare you," he said lowly when his voice returned to him.

"No," Kiri growled in return, tears stinging her eyes, "How dare you. Vexx is a good man, and if he is an outcast, it is not of any fault of his own." She snatched the tea kettle from its place above the fire and poured the steaming liquid into the two cups before her. "I'm starting to believe I prefer the silent type over a man who gossips," she snipped, refusing to look at her father. As she took up the two cups in her hands and started for the corner, Karik suddenly barred her way. He started to say something, but Kiri was fast to interrupt. "I'm carrying hot tea. Don't you have any sense in that thick head of yours? Move!"

Karik glared fiercely and lifted his hand. Kiri didn't even flinch, standing proud, knowing he would not dare strike her. The company in the room, however, did not know this, and Karik was surprised to find three men up out of their seats in an instant. He lowered his arm. "I'm going to rally the guards," he grumbled before slamming the front door after himself.

Kiri took in a deep breath and as she exhaled it, her tone became much more pleasant. "You shouldn't be standing, Vexx. Please, sit. Here's your tea." She seated herself beside him, smoothed out her skirt with her free hand, and daintily blew on her tea. Gly and Giles avoided looking at Kiri, while Vexx seemed unable to stop staring at her as if she were completely insane. She didn't seem to notice either way. The room fell silent, save for the nervous, rhythmic _clink_ sound of Vexx's finger repeatedly tapping on the ceramic cup.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

Three days would have passed if the sun had been allowed to run its course. The sundial was once again carefully monitored, keeping the sun in a low position, near to the horizon. Occasionally it would lurch back across the sky and then start its slow decent back toward the mountains. If the villagers hadn't feared the dark before, they certainly did now. There was much work to be done to fix the damage that the creatures of the night had caused, physically and emotionally.

Vexx stretched stiff muscles and stared up at the unfamiliar rafters of the forge. He blinked sleep away from his eyes. It was getting hot up in the forge's loft, even without the fires burning. He hoped it would be cooler on the ground floor. The warrior sat up. His shoulders and hips complained of having to sleep on the wooden floor with only an old quilt for padding. He would have gladly gone back home, but Kiri wouldn't allow it. She was rather insistent about him staying nearby and he hadn't felt terribly inclined to protest, mostly because he knew she was probably right. It was a good idea for him to stay close to the village, if not for his own safety, then for that of his people. He had, however, left Kiri's house as soon as he felt well enough to walk back to the forge on his own. Much to Karik's relief, Vexx was sure.

The sound of people moving about on the ground floor was easy to hear. Gly and Giles were awake by now. Vexx took his time getting his shirt and boots back on. The place where the War Talons had been melded back together was still tender. There was a great scar of melted metal that had been used to help hold the fingers in place. Vexx feared that this metal was not compatible with whatever the War Talons were made of. Perhaps the wound would never heal properly, and the idea of his hand hurting this much for the rest of his life was not appealing. He would need a lot of hard liquor to block it out, and what good is a drunken guardian anyway?

With that thought, he sighed and took up a bottle that sat beside where he slept. He lifted it to look through the glass. Nearly empty, he realized. He downed the rest in two huge gulps, then shook his head sharply at the kick the alcohol had. He coughed a bit as he set down the bottle once more and hung his head.

"Vexx?" Kiri called, "You awake?"

The warrior's ear perked. He coughed once more, perhaps to indicate yes, and then moved carefully down the wooden ladder, favoring his shield hand. The warm feeling filled him as the alcohol hit his empty stomach. Hopefully it would take the edge off the pain soon.

A large cooking pot was on the metal table. Kiri was handing bowls of soup to the blacksmith and his son. Her gaze turned to Vexx with a smile. "I hope your appetite is back." She was quick to serve up a bowl full and pass it to him.

Vexx paused as he looked at the wooden spoon resting on the bowl's edge. With a bit of a sheepish grin, he took it out and carefully sipped from the bowl instead. Kiri blinked a moment. "Oh," she finally said in an apologetic manner, "I guess that would be hard for you to hold." She took the spoon back from him. "I didn't think of that. I'm sorry." The smile on Vexx's face showed that he didn't mind.

A guard suddenly came running into the forge. "Vexx, we just received a request for passage through the Rift from Dragonreach. It comes from Prince Ahden and he says that it is urgent."

Kiri was out the door before Vexx even set down his soup bowl.

The Rift Hub was always heavily guarded. There was the ever-present risk that something from another world would find a way to break into the rifts, so there had to be guards posted at all times in case anything should come through. It was also to make sure that the Hub itself did not fall into the wrong hands.

A beast drawn wagon rolled to a stop in front of the Rift Hub. Kiri hopped off and was running at full kilter toward the Hub doors before Vexx's feet even hit the ground. He blinked after her, completely baffled as to how anyone could move that fast while wearing three layers of skirts.

Gly slid off the wagon behind Vexx, bumping into his arm. The warrior winced and held the injured hand to his chest. "Sorry!" Gly was quick to say and put some distance between himself and Vexx. The warrior took a few deep breaths before taking a flask from the pouch at his hip.

"Hurry up, you two!" Kiri called out, "They're opening the Rift!"

Vexx sighed and plodded along the road to the Hub, sipping from his flask.

There was a great crackling sound and the rift doors gave way, revealing the swirling mists beyond. The Astaran guards all stood with spears ready as a precaution. The great armored figure of Ahden suddenly stepped into the Rift Hub, stooping slightly to be sure he didn't hit his head on the doorway. The rift closed behind him and the guards stood at ease.

Kiri was quick to great him with a curtsy. "Welcome to Timberdale, Prince Ahden. We are pleased to have you here."

"I wish it were under better circumstances, my little friend," Ahden replied with a slight bow in return. "Might I speak with you in private?"

"Of course," Kiri replied, motioning for him to follow her. The guards parted before the huge form of the giant. Once more Ahden stooped at the doorway and disappeared outside.

Vexx attempted to follow, but Gly's hand stilled him. "He said in private." Vexx gave a huff of disapproval. Gly smiled. "Oh, are you worried about her?" Vexx shook his head. "Are you _sure_?" The warrior gave Gly a harsh warning look before taking another swig from his flask. Gly chuckled, "That's cute." He was answered with a light backhand to the arm and another warning look.

Ahden's gaze moved across the lush trees and fields of Timberdale. He said nothing, but his awe was clear in his slow movements and the cranking of his head. He finally took a seat on a large boulder in the middle of the grassy field. Kiri politely sat on the ground beside him, arranging her skirts about her. "What is troubling you, my friend?"

Ahden refused to look at her, the wandering gaze giving way to a fixed one upon the ground. "I don't know what to do now, Kiri. I fear that I have made a grave mistake and I know not how to repair it."

"What is it?" When Ahden still seemed reluctant to answer, Kiri added, "I assure you, I will do everything in my power to help set things right."

There was a silence that seemed to loom in the air like a Skinx preparing to strike. Finally, Ahden breathed a great sigh. "I have been exiled."

"What?" Kiri breathed in disbelief, forgetting to sound diplomatic for the moment, "Why?"

Ahden's gaze moved across the ground, never meeting with the worried face of the Astaran beside him. He spoke quietly, ashamed, "I am tired of the constant battling that plagues our world's history, Kiri. I thought I could change things. You must understand, I was only trying to bring Astara one step closer to being whole again. I never thought…" he trailed off as he realized that he wasn't actually telling her what had happened at all. After taking a deep breath, Ahden started to reveal the details of a plan that made Kiri's blood run cold. "With the dragons returned to my homeland, I started to think. They were nearly completely wiped out by my people in the past, and it made me wonder what other horrible things we might still be doing without even realizing it. We have changed the natural course of things in far too many ways. My father allowed me to decree that we would no longer manipulate the world in evil ways. We started by destroying the sundial."

Kiri pulled in her breath and held her hand over her mouth.

Ahden nodded, "I know, I know, how foolish could I possibly be?"

"No, no," Kiri was already saying over his words, "Ahden, you don't understand! I felt the same way, I did the very same thing!"

The giant's head swiveled about to face her. "Don't tease me," he warned, wanting to believe that she was doing so.

"I would not," Kiri replied hastily, placing her hands upon his huge arm. "I ordered the sundial be shut down in order to restore the natural order of the world. Things went well for a while, but then-"

"Then they attacked," Ahden finished her statement for her, "The night creatures. They have taken back Dragonreach. How is this all possible?"

"How could we have possibly come across the same plan?" Kiri murmured.

Ahden's massive shoulders shrugged. His eyes turned toward the sunlit sky, "I see that you were not fool enough to actually destroy the sundial." He hung his head.

Kiri came to her feet. "Something more is at work here. I am going to consult with the village mystics and wise men. Perhaps they have some idea of what could be happening." She held out her hand, mostly in gesture, as she clearly could not help Ahden to his feet. "We do not have much in the way of large buildings in Overwood, but you are most welcome to remain here in the Rift Hub."

"I thank you, my friend, but I can not stay. I must now search of an uninhabited land or one where the people do not use their sundial. I have to return things to the way they once were in Dragonreach. I do request the use of your Rift Hub in my mission."

"I will grant it," Kiri replied, "Provided you are cautious as to who or what you bring back with you."

"I understand," Ahden nodded before finally standing. "Thank you, Princess Kiri."

Kiri felt herself blush, but she didn't bother to tell her friend that her village used no such titles. She lead the way back to the Rift Hub, all the while wondering what could possibly have caused such a phenomenon. She was already formulating theories…


	17. Chapter 17

_This chapter gave me a lot of grief. I mostly just had to settle on it and be happy in the end. I wanted to get this update out on time for my "roughly every two weeks" schedule. lol _

_Some glimpses into the thoughts of Kiri now. I hope everyone likes her enough that this doesn't all start feeling like lame "OC" rambling. Focus will shift back to Vexx soon, promise. Right now we need some plot moving! ... which will really happen in the next update. lol Enjoy.  
_

**Chapter Seventeen**

"I really wish this had come up sooner," Gly complained as he hurried about the forge, digging about in piles of scrap. "I'd like to actually do this right. A rush job is never a good idea!" He started chucking scraps of metal into a pile by the fireplace. "There _will _be mistakes, you can quote me on that. Well, figuratively speaking, you can quote me, of course."

Vexx followed Gly's lead, tossing a dented old shield into the pile. Gly shook his head quickly, "No, no, that one's junk!" In a flash he was pulling it out of his pile. "It was a mistake from an apprentice. It's way too weak for a weapon. It's only suitable to be a cooking pot at best."

With a roll of his eyes, Vexx continued his search. Gly continued his ranting. "Really, if I had known about this right after the attack, I would have gladly gotten something together, but this is way too short of notice. Sure, it'll work, but it's not going to be anything phenomenal. A rush job and obviously so, I'm sure. Are you even listening to me?"

Vexx lifted his head with a questioning expression that indicated he hadn't heard a word of it. Gly growled and turned, "You see the way he is?"

"It will be just fine, Gly," Kiri told him. "I am confident in the abilities of you and your father."

Gly sighed deeply and let his shoulders slump. "Why doesn't the village guardian already have armor?"

"Why haven't you made him some yet?" Giles shot back as he dumped an armload of firewood into the pile.

"I'm working on it right now!" Gly replied defensively.

"I meant sooner," Giles called as he disappeared out the back of the forge again.

"Well, why didn't _you?"_ Gly retaliated. He cringed when there was a sudden grating sound in his ear. Vexx stood behind him, repeatedly snapping his fingers to get him to hurry up. Gly tried to move away from the horrible metallic noise, but the warrior followed him through the forge and back to the scrap piles. "Stop that!" Gly barked, his demand going unheeded. Kiri giggled as she watched the two. "Don't laugh, you'll only encourage him!" Gly shouted at her.

"I can't help it. You two are so entertaining," Kiri jested in return.

"Focus on your work, Gly," Giles told him as he came back in with another arm full of wood. "Don't go letting the lovely lady distract you now." He shot Kiri a wink, and she blushed in return. She was glad for some lighthearted banter, being that it pulled her mind away from the dark issues she was facing. None of the village mystics had been much help in telling her what could possibly have caused her and Ahden to have the same plan at the same time. Some of them had become very rigid and worried, even harsh to her after hearing her story. One went so far as to start praying, casting a spell of protection upon himself as he shooed her from his home. The more helpful ones gave her vague answers, which was typical really, being that they wanted for her to work things out on her own. She already had some ideas, but she didn't want to admit them, even to herself.

Kiri's gaze followed Vexx and Gly across the room. The warrior probably knew nothing of how to run a forge, but he was there beside the blacksmiths to offer his services anyway. Occasionally Giles shooed him out of the way, but for the most part, Vexx was more of a help than a hindrance. Kiri sat well out of the way and fanned herself to keep cool. The forge became an oven with the combined heat of the fires and the ever present sun. The village couldn't take much more of this, and she knew it. The heat would soon overwhelm the crops, livestock, and people. They had little choice now. They would have to allow night to set in soon.

Truly Kiri dreaded this. As the three men toiled in the forge, Kiri knew that the jovial demeanor they tossed about would soon be gone without a trace. They were preparing for a battle to come. Her stomach tied in knots at the thought of her homeland becoming a battlefield again. She told herself that it wouldn't happen this time, that they would have the guards ready and meet the night creatures in the forest. Everything would go as planned and they would be safe again.

But at what cost, her mind asked her in return. She tried to bat the thought away, but it persisted. She lifted her gaze, watching the light from the fires play across the faces of Giles, Gly, and Vexx, accenting their features in orange highlights and dark shadows. What would be the cost of what was to come? Would she be comfortable with it? Would she be able to forgive herself for causing such grief? She tried to argue with herself that none of this was actually her fault. Her eyes moved to the repaired Astani War Talon, moving across the metal scar. She jerked her gaze away and out the window, looking out across the dirt roads and fields in the distance. There was once a house there, she was reminded, and this view would not be there, except for the fact that the home had burned to nothing. This, her mind said, would never have happened if she hadn't been so stupid.

With a shake of her head, she took the distraction of her friends as an opportunity to slip away. Such negativity wasn't helping things. She needed rest to collect her thoughts again.

She had no way of knowing she would soon regret this decision.


	18. Chapter 18

_It has been brought to my attention that instead of a two chapter update every two weeks, it should be a chapter update ever week. Well... that's just too freakin' logical! Come on!_

...

_Really though, I felt like the chapters are running in sets of two. Of course this doesn't mean that I need to withhold them, really. Piff, holding back updates just because it flows better that way. Who do I think I am? Tracy Butler? XD (Who is teh awesum, by the way!) _

_lol, Enjoy the chapter._

**Chapter Eighteen**

Bare feet paced back and forth across the loft of the forge. In truth, pacing is a poor way to describe the manner in which Vexx was moving. It was more of a slow plodding back and forth, each step carefully tested. A War Talon rested lightly upon the stone wall for a moment to steady him. Well, he was certainly feeling no pain now, but it made the world look rather hazy as a trade-off.

His head turned at the sound of Gly coming up the ladder. The man carefully peered over the edge and into the dimly lit loft. "Oh, you are awake," he said. Vexx nodded. Gly hoisted himself up to sit near to the ladder. "It's a lot darker up here. It's hard to sleep downstairs, in the sunlight." The sound of Giles snoring below indicated that the blacksmith had no such issues with the light. Normally all Astaran houses had windowless rooms for sleeping in, but the forge was not intended as a living space.

Again Vexx nodded, then put a hand to his forehead as the motion made him dizzy. Gly tilted his head. "You alright?" Vexx nodded once more, and this caused the world to blur and spin. He snorted with laughter, leaning on the wall. Gravity took hold of the warrior and he suddenly found himself on his hands and knees upon the floor.

"How much have you had to drink?" Gly asked cautiously. The reply was a causal shrug and a carefree laugh as Vexx settled into a more comfortable sitting position. He was sure to stay far from the edge of the loft, keeping his back against the wall. Gly stretched himself out across the floor to reach for the bottle at Vexx's bedside. The flask was empty. Gly sat up, shook his head a bit, but smiled. "The healer might have a better remedy. One that won't make you so… tipsy." Vexx refrained from nodding this time and simply leaned his head against the wall.

After a silence, Gly spoke in a much more serious tone. "I'm sorry we couldn't do more to help. I really hope it'll stop hurting soon. We need you in top shape and fast." His eyes moved to the forge floor below. The place was a mess with tools and metal scraps. The set of newly forged armor was placed out on the table; breast plate, leg guards, and a shield to protect the injured War Talon. Now all it needed was some leather straps to hold it all in place. Gly pondered going to get them from the tanner now, being sleep was hard in coming. He wanted to make sure the armor would be ready for what was to come. They could only hold back the sun a while longer. He ran a hand across his brow.

There was a sudden shuffling sound right beside him and a hand lightly rested on his shoulder. Gly caught sight of the repaired Astani War Talon out of the corner of his eye. His spine shot straight. Seeing such a reaction, Vexx carefully took his hand away, tucking the loose fist under his other arm.

"Sorry," Gly breathed. "It's just-" he stopped when Vexx held up a hand for silence. Refusing to look at Gly, he made a motion across his own forearm, and then pointed to Gly to indicate the scars. Gly breathed a sigh, covering the scars with his hand. "Yeah."

A tense silence set in. Neither one moved, refusing to simply run from this situation, however awkward it felt. Rather than leave, Gly changed the subject. "I'm really worried about her." The man sighed, staring up at the rafters, his feet lightly kicking over the edge of the loft. "I've been thinking about what Kiri said… about Ahden having the same idea. It's kind of scary when you think about it. How can two people come up with the same plan at the same time like that?" He knew that Vexx would not have the answer and that even if the man did, he wouldn't be able to tell it.

Vexx closed his eyes. He did think all of this was strange. There was an obvious conspiracy going on, involving the sundials, the kidnapping of those of noble birth, and the cloaked man. He was just unsure as to how it all linked together just yet. Truly, he was unsure of many things at the moment, such as when his mind would stop reeling about like it was on the end of a battle flail. It was interesting how he could enjoy and hate the feeling of drunkenness all at the same time.

Vexx opened his eyes when Gly suddenly spoke again, "I hope that the mystics have an idea of what's going on. It makes me worry. I know, Kiri's a tough girl, she can take care of herself and everything. Still… She's going through a lot right now. I hope she's alright."


	19. Chapter 19

_This is the last chapter I have on reserve. Hopefully I'll get another one written by next week. No promises, though. I'm swamped with homework. Midterms are coming! Dun dun dun! So, enjoy this chapter, the next one will be on its way as soon as possible._

**Chapter Ninteen**

Kiri shifted restlessly in her bed. No matter how she lay, her muscles refused to relax. She twisted this way and that, battling with her blanket and pillow until both were cast onto the floor. She sprawled herself out upon her stomach and hid her face against the bed until he had to pull back for air. This was all very frustrating.

Her mind rejected her suggestion that it kindly shut up and let her rest. Too much was happening and there were far too many questions that demanded answers. Not now, she tried to tell her mind, but no matter what she did, sleep did not come.

Her eat twitched at a shuffling sound in the darkened room. The thick curtains were pulled tight over the window to block out the sun. Still, fragments of light drifted into the corners of the room, just enough for her to make out the shapes of the furniture. As she lifted her head, she saw a silhouette near the door. She sat up slightly, squinting in the dark at this figure. "Father?" she asked. The shadow moved toward her carefully. A glint of metal upon the hand caught her eye. "Vexx?" disbelief was thick in her tone. Her hand quickly jutted to the floor and she hauled her blanket up to cover her chest. "What are you doing here?"

"Shhhh," came the quiet answer.

"What's wrong?" Kiri hissed at him.

Of course there was no reply. She never expected there to be one. He seated himself on the corner of her bed. She scooted back near the headboard. "You do know that if father finds you in here, with me, he will kill you, right?"

A quiet laugh. He found the prospect of being murdered funny? Kiri huffed, blowing hair out of her face. "I'm serious, you shouldn't be here. How did you even get in without him seeing you? What are you doing here?"

The wooden frame of the bed creaked as he leaned toward her in the darkness. Her head bumped back against the wall. "Vexx," she hissed at him, "If this isn't some kind of emergency, you really need to leave now."

He didn't leave. He clearly didn't intend to leave. He drew even closer to her. When Kiri found that she could not back up any further, she gave a yelp of surprise and tried to move sideways to get away from him, backing herself into the corner. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded, struggling to keep her voice down now. "Get off of my bed this instant!"

The reply was a deep sigh. This was followed by a coy laugh. Kiri failed to see any humor in the situation. "Are you drunk? You must be. This is the last thing I need." He leaned in again. Her hand jutted out to his shoulder and she held him at arm's length. "No," she growled, pushing him back. "Go home." She didn't really mean go home, she realized. She meant go back to the forge, but in her shock and anger, such specifics refused to come to her.

He refused to listen. As his body leaned toward her once more, she was quick to pull back her hand and strike. The sound of the slap echoed in the quiet house. Kiri growled through clinched teeth, gripping her blanket tightly about herself, "What part of 'no' did you not understand?"

Another small laugh, this one sounding hurt. Then a calm reply in the form of words, "The part where you seem to think you have a say in this."

Kiri drew in her breath sharply. She was not one to give her assailant warning before she shouted for help. However, this breath was enough for the shadowy figure. His hand leapt up to her mouth, stifling the scream. She winced as something sharp on his finger tips cut into her cheeks.

"Shhhh," he cooed in a voice as smooth as silk, "We wouldn't want to wake daddy, would we? Then the Shadowcreeps who are watching over him may just have to put him back to bed." Kiri's hands trembled. She glared through the darkness at the man before her, sensing somehow that he could see her. Then a strange calm washed over her. Her body relaxed, hands dropping to her lap. "I'm going to let you go now, and you are not going to scream." He released her.

Kiri slowly lifted a hand to her cheek where two small cuts ran parallel to each other. The thought struck her that this had to be the man who injured Vexx, and that thought made her blood boil. Yet her body did not react even as her mind shook with fury. "We mean you now harm," she said quietly, her voice returning to her. "We are a peaceful people who only wish to restore the balance of Astara. We want to restore the cycle of day and night. Please, let us talk this out rationally. We may be able to negotiate with one another."

"You've really taken this to heart," the man replied with a surprised chuckle. "Negotiations will be made shortly. First you are going to assist me."

"How so?" Kiri ventured cautiously. She was amazed at how calm her own tone was.

"It is very bright out," he man replied casually. "You will go to the sundial and instruct them to turn it to night."

Kiri didn't know what to do from here. Such a move would give him and all of his shadow minions their full power. She had already seen what had become of the village before. She dreaded the thought of such a thing happening again. "You must swear that you will not attack," she told him with far less conviction than she had wanted.

"Come again?"

"You and your people. I will only fill your request if I have your word in return that my people will be safe."

"Sweet little Kiri," the cloaked man cooed, amused, "It wasn't a request. It was an order."

"I do not take orders from you," Kiri replied. Again she was shocked that the rage she was feeling refused to come to the surface. "I am willing to negotiate with you, as representatives of neighboring clans."

"You are not the one I am here to negotiate with," the man replied, "Your job at this moment in time is simply to turn the sundial. You are to tell no one who has sent you and give no indication that anything may be amiss. So far as the guards will know, you simply decided that it was getting far too hot out."

"I will do no such thing," Kiri replied flatly.

"Oh, but you already are," the man replied.

Kiri's suddenly realized that she had been moving about the room as she spoke to him. By now she was tugging the front strings of her corset into place. Her hands moved of their own accord as the bow was tied. "What did you do?" she tried to shout at him, but her voice refused to rise much higher than an emotionless whisper.

"The Shadow Realm does not let go of its children so easily," the man replied as he moved to her side. The faint light from between the curtains cast on his face, the outline of a dark, Astaran-like jaw line barely visible. His mouth curled in a genuine, sweet smile. "Hurry now, dear. We have much to do." He made a wide, sweeping motion with his hand.

Kiri spun about with the motion. Much to her surprise, she found herself moving out the door. She tried to stop, but her body would not respond to the command. Her feet carried her through the village. People greeted her and she replied with a smile and a nod. On the inside, she was screaming for help, but none of it would come to the surface. Her voice spoke against her will and fed the guards strings of lies. It became harder and harder for her to see what was happening around her, until there was nothing but darkness and noise.

And then there was his voice. Smooth as silk and calm as a winter morning, he spoke to her within the confines of her mind. She knew then that she was susceptible to his powers because she drank the water in her cell when she was his captive. Water from the Shadowrealm. The Shadowrealm does not let got of its children so easily, he told her once again. She could do nothing to stop it now. She had become a puppet to the darkness.

He explained to her very carefully what she was to do now. Never for a moment did he show weakness in his conviction. This was simply the way things had to be. Then he told her his name.

Lord Halcyon. The Shadow Wraith.


	20. Chapter 20

_Miracle of all miracles, I made it for the weekly update, AND I have more chapters in reserve! ... the bad part is, they do not actually all connect just yet. They will, I just need to finish the connecting chapter. Updates should be pretty smooth sailing from here on out... but don't quote me on that. lol_

**Chapter Twenty**

"VEXX!"

Vexx woke with a start. Even as he was coming into the waking world, Gly's voice continued, horror-struck, "The sun just set! Something's wrong! Come on, hurry!"

The warrior had his boots on and was down the ladder in a flash. Giles was already suiting himself up in his armor. Gly moved quickly to do the same for Vexx, his hurried speech never stopping for a moment. "We need to get out there, fast. I'm sure there's all kinds of night things lurking around. Quick, put up your arms." The newly forged armor was slapped onto Vexx's chest and Gly quickly set about tightening the leather straps that he had just attached to the sides. "It's a good thing I couldn't sleep or we'd all be off guard now. Who knows what would happen then." He suddenly cussed very loudly, which made Vexx jump.

As quickly as the armor had gone on, Gly was yanking it back off of the warrior again. Vexx stumbled a step from the ferocity with which the act was done. "This is no good! This is rubbish!" Gly cast the breastplate onto the floor as he shot across the room, "The hinging points are all wrong! I told you a rushed job would never work!"

"Calm down," Giles snapped back at his son. "What are you panicking for? That's a fine piece of armor." The blacksmith took up his battle axe.

"I've seen him fight," Gly protested. There was a clanking of metal and Gly ran back to Vexx's side, a bundle of chainmail in his arms. "What was I thinking? You move around way too much for that breastplate. It's just going to inhibit your movement and get you killed. Here. You're a bit broader in the shoulders than me, but this should fit." With the chainmail in place, Gly thrust a helmet into Vexx's hands and set about putting the leg guards on him. "Be careful, both of you. I'll follow once I get my arrows."

After the whirlwind of being suited up was over, Vexx bolted out of the forge along side Giles. The chainmail shirt was heavy, but the weight of it didn't bother the warrior. He had to admit that it was easier to move in than he figured the breastplate would have been. The shield to protect his injured hand was greatly appreciated above all else. It was forged as more of an arm guard with an extension to dome over and cover the whole War Talon. Giles had fitted this guard with a couple of sharp spikes so that Vexx could still slash and punch in the manner he was used to in his style of battle. There were still marks from the hammer strikes all along the metal. As Gly had said, a rushed job and obviously one at that, but Vexx was satisfied with it.

Guards were already gathering in the streets, holding lanterns overhead. Everyone was baffled as to why the sun had been permitted to set. There had been no advanced notification about it. No one was home at Karik's house. In fact, no one seemed to know where Karik and Kiri were at all. Nevertheless, a plan remained, and while they had been caught off-guard, the soldiers knew what their instructions were. The village boarders were quickly protected. The threat was sure to come from the forest and they were ready for it.

Vexx had other ideas. With Giles fast at his heels, the village guardian led the way down darkened roads to the sundial. Someone had turned it without proper orders, this he was absolutely sure of. When he reached the hilltop and was met with no guards, Vexx knew he was right. He burst through the huge double doors, rolling across the floor and coming back to a crouch position. The bodies of the guards lay strewn across the room, armor dented and bloodied, barely illuminated by the flickering light of a single remaining wall torch. Standing on the sundial was a figure in white, her dark hair falling across her back. Red droplets dappled her skirt. Her head turned to look back over her shoulder, tears streaking her creamy cheeks.

"Kiri," Giles gasped.

Vexx dropped his guard and quickly moved to her. She turned to face him fully and moved a step closer, arms reaching out to him. "Vexx," she said, her voice hardly more than a hoarse whisper. He was nearly close enough to touch her when she spoke again, a single, desperate plea. "Run."

It was too late. Vexx pulled backward a step as the word sank in and Kiri's expression melted away into a fiery glare. Her hands shot out to him, grasping his throat tightly. Vexx had to stop himself from automatically grabbing for her wrists. Teeth gritted, he stared wide-eyed at the sudden change in Kiri. She grinned manically at him in return.

Giles swept in, doing what Vexx could not and prying her fingers away. "What's wrong with you, girl? Stop it!" The murderous rage turned on Giles then. Kiri shoved the large man backward with a strength that was shocking for her stature. In a fluid sweeping motion, Kiri's legs darted up through the air, one after the other. She was airborne, a boot-clad foot meeting with the side of the blacksmith's head. The motion continued, skirts swirling about her as she came back to the ground. Her gaze lifted sharply to Vexx, smirking. Giles groaned in pain from his position on the floor.

Vexx kept his attention on Kiri. He and his grandfather had established a sort of language for him that only the two of them knew. Vexx still reverted to it at times, particularly when he was desperate or stressed. His grunts and gestures of question quickly gave way to deeper confusion and even a touch of fear.

Kiri was not interested explaining herself. She closed the space between her and the warrior quickly, hands reaching for his neck again. Vexx slid back just as quickly, carefully defusing her attacks by pushing her hands away with his arms. His own hands stayed in loose fists, talons tucked into each other. Clearly Kiri was out for blood, but he wasn't so sure that he was in return just yet.

Giles came back to his feet, shaking his head sharply to clear his vision. "What do you think you're doing, girl?" he snapped at Kiri again, watching the two dart about the room. "Have you lost your mind?"

Vexx's eyes narrowed. Giles was right, this was nothing like Kiri, he was sure of that. This had to be Shadow Wraith trickery. He had been the victim of such things before. No Wraith shape-shifting trick would get him this time. His loose fists lashed open and he leapt at her with an enraged scream.


	21. Chapter 21

_OMG, THE STORY FINALLY HAS A NAME! Yes, it is official. For many reasons, this story is named Shadow Puppets. Thank you, middle of the night idea pwn. Why does this story do that to me?_

**Chapter Twenty-One **

Seeing that attempting to assist in this battle was getting him nowhere, the blacksmith opted to leave in search of reinforcements instead. He was sure that Vexx could fend Kiri off, but that was a large part of the problem. He didn't want either of them dead.

Out in the village, peoples gazes turned skyward in horror. Swirling dark clouds were gathering, illuminated dimly by a deep purple light within. They had seen these clouds before, just before the sky ships of Dark Yabu had come to sweep them away. Giles turned his eyes skyward as well, cursing their ill fate. "Not again," he muttered as he pressed on down the hill. "Never again."

Shadow creatures were starting to filter into the village. The guards did their best to hold them back, but shadows are difficult to keep track of. Giles started to rally a group together to come with him to the sundial. Someone suddenly grasped his arm. It was Karik. The village leader was bleeding from a head wound, eyes wide with fear. "Kiri?" he asked, "Have you seen Kiri?"

Giles hesitated a moment before he replied with a grim, "Yes."

-o-o-o-

It was lucky that Vexx had seen the high spinning kick used on Giles, because it made him ready when Kiri attempted it again. He tried to get hold of her, but every time she managed to twist away from his grasp. Kiri spun and dodged gracefully, moving much in the manner that Master Larkin had. The thought occurred to Vexx that Kiri was keeping up with him and jumping about like an acrobat while wearing a corset and two layers of skirts. The warrior was all the more thankful for the chainmail armor's flexibility. There was still hope. Vexx saw that she was going to tire a lot faster than he was. She had already exceeded his expectations, but she was starting to lag behind.

"Hold still," Kiri told him in a strangely playful manner. "This will be a lot easier on all of us if you just cooperate." Vexx rolled his eyes after ducking another kick. He came back up quickly with a slash. Kiri gave a cry as she stumbled backward against the wall, barely catching herself in a stooped position. She lifted her gaze sharply, hair falling across her blood speckled face. Her brown eyes were suddenly pleading and terrified. "I'm sorry, I'm not--" her voice broke off with a choked noise as she held her wounded arm. Her eyes strained to move upward toward the ceiling.

She suddenly moved in for the attack again. Her predictable high kicks stopped. Instead, Vexx felt something hit his leg guard. She kicked it again and he stumbled backward. Kicking in the shins like a little spoiled child? Well, it was certainly more the attack he expected from the real Kiri, but it was undoubtedly an odd change from before. Her foot hooked behind his knee in his retreat and he toppled backward. "Look there!" Kiri shouted at him.

From laying flat on his back, Vexx found himself gazing up at the towering ceiling. A shadow stood in one of the windows, barely visible but there to see for those who were accustomed to looking for dark things. Kiri was still coming at him, and Vexx hooked his ankles about her waist to hold her steady for a moment. Whatever that was watching them, it looked rather suspicious. He decided to invite it down with an energy blast.

The figure side-stepped the attack, which met with the stone wall and shook the whole of the tower. Vexx was quick to come back to his feet. He pushed Kiri back and sent another blast. This time it hit its mark. The shadow tumbled from its perch. Vexx winced at the sickening _thud _sound when it hit the ground. Everything was silent in the chamber then. Kiri had even stopped her advance, sinking to her knees and sobbing lightly.

Lord Halcyon grunted. Vexx slid on guard, watching carefully as the cloaked man stood full. A bitter laugh echoed through the room. "That was uncalled for." He faced Vexx full on and asked in a mocking tone, "How's the hand?"

Vexx answered with a choice finger gesture that showed that his hand had been put back together, thanks.

"Next time I'll be sure the pieces I remove can't be melted back into place," Halcyon said, holding out his arm, hand hidden beneath the sleeve. Kiri suddenly jerked back up to her feet, still gripping her head in her hands. Vexx glanced between the two and understood better what was happening now. Halcyon smirked under his hood, "What's that look for? Maybe she's helping me because I'm better looking, you ever think of that?"

Vexx rolled his eyes. The back of an Astani War Talon met with the base of Kiri's skull. She swayed and slumped to the floor. Vexx gave the cloaked man a sidelong smirk, betting that his powers weren't very effective if she was out cold.

There was a pause before Halcyon sighed, "That was just rude, Vexx. I imagine she'll be rather angry when she wakes up."

Vexx hardly heard him. In the moment of silence, he could hear the sounds of battle outside. Vexx divided his attention between Halcyon and the door. The cloaked man gave another quiet laugh. "What? You want to go see what's going on? Go, then. Be my guest."

Vexx knelt beside Kiri, eyes carefully watching the man before him. Halcyon shook his head and held the bridge of his nose. "What, you don't trust me?" he said with an edge of sarcasm. "Fine." With that, Halcyon walked out the door into the open night. Cautiously, Vexx left the unconscious Kiri behind and followed. As he moved out into the dark, his breath caught in his lungs.

The night itself seemed to be moving. The fields were swarming with shadow creatures, howling and growling, biting and stinging. The Astaran guards were doing their best to hold the forces back, but the sheer numbers before them were absolutely daunting. Vexx felt a chill run through him as he beheld the scene that was unfolding. They would not be able to stand up to this for very much longer.

"Quite a mess," Halcyon commented, watching the reaction from the warrior with no small amount of pleasure. "It doesn't have to be this way, you know. All of this can end in a heartbeat. _You_ can end this, Vexx. All you need do… is die."


	22. Chapter 22

_We're getting into the home stretch, folks. Next week's update will be the last chapters all in one go, because I'm not cruel enough to leave everyone hanging for another four weeks to see how the final battle comes out. I am cruel enough to make you wait one more week! MWAHAHA! Enjoy._

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

His shield hand throbbed, a painful reminder of what had happened the last time he faced Halcyon. He would be ready this time. He would not underestimate the man.

The Shadow Wraith started the attack, lunging for Vexx's throat. Shadowy hands brushed past as the warrior evaded and retaliated. Slashing and dodging, spinning and ducking, back and forth the two fought one another. Halcyon never seemed to tire, he never gave an inch. Vexx watched him closely, barely able to keep up. Then he saw it. The Astani War Talons brushed past Halcyon's face, barely missing, catching the edge of his hood. The Shadow Wraith flinched, teeth gritted. It was slight, but there all the same, shattering the calm exterior he used to cover his emotions. A smirk came to Vexx's lips as he realized that this man was having an equally hard time keeping up with him. He only looked perfectly in control of everything. It was all for show. Inside, he just as unsure of what the outcome of this battle would be.

With this new knowledge on his side, Vexx launched into another series of attacks. Halcyon was still off-balance from the hasty dodge of the first swing. Each one that followed got closer and closer to reaching its mark until there was suddenly a flash of crimson. Halcyon gasped as his body spun with the blow. He caught himself on one knee, holding his chest. Vexx was relieved to know his opponent wasn't actually invincible after all.

This injury was not going to keep Halcyon down for long. There was hardly a pause before he whipped around again. Vexx jumped away from the attack, growling. Halcyon roared back in return, "Why won't you just die?" Suddenly it was all Vexx could do to scramble out of the way of the barrage of dark energy blasts that shattered the hillside. As the dust settled, Halcyon's hands clinched into tight fists. He was absolutely shaking with fury as he watched Vexx emerge from the rubble practically unscathed. The warrior coughed, glad to take a moment to catch his breath.

Then, as suddenly as it had come, the rage passed from Halcyon. He spoke in his composed manner once again, "You are not going to make this easy for me, are you?"

Vexx didn't give him any reply. He knew that one wasn't needed, although he did want to ask the same question in return.

"You will understand soon," Halcyon told him confidently.

Once more Vexx braced himself for some sort of Shadow Wraith shape shifting, but Halcyon did no such thing. The Wraith launched into the attack, a whirlwind of slashing claws and spin kicks. Vexx countered with equal speed. Amid the chaos of battle, the warrior's back suddenly met with the wall of the sundial tower. Halcyon saw that Vexx was momentarily cornered and took this window of opportunity. Vexx felt his shield arm jerk violently just before an uppercut met with his jaw. No, he realized a second later. Halcyon had hold of the strap that held his helmet in place under his chin. The leather gave under the claws. A spinning kick met the side of the helmet. Vexx tumbled in the dirt, coming back to his feet quickly. His helmet rolled away down the hill. He paid it no mind and assumed a battle stance, only to find his arm guard was hanging at his elbow by a single strap. He growled and quickly discarded the broken armor.

"Much better," Halcyon said with an audible smirk before he charged in for another attack. Vexx braced to block the next strike, but he was caught by surprise when the Shadow Wraith suddenly took a flying leap over his head. The warrior spun about to catch him in the landing.

There was a sharp pain in his forehead. The whole world suddenly lurched into slow motion. Vexx was vaguely aware of the fact that Halcyon's hand was gripping his face. He could feel that he was falling backward, but it was as if he were sinking in water. The sounds of the battle around him were muted. All he could hear was Halcyon's calm voice, seeming to echo in the recesses of his own mind.

"Please understand that this is not because of any spite towards you. In fact, I hold you in the highest of respects, Vexx."

Vexx wanted to ask him what the point was, then. It seemed that Halcyon sensed this question, because he continued by saying, "I will explain everything. We have plenty of time. I have connected our minds, and thoughts move much faster than the rest of the world. Know that you will be dead before you hit the ground, and I will have long finished explaining before you are dead."


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

The horrible things that the Astani had done to the world were well known by all. The stories had been handed down through the oral traditions of all creatures of Astara. However, every culture knew parts of the story that others did not. Within the span of a heartbeat, Halcyon not only told Vexx the version from the Shadow Realm, but showed it to him though dream like images.

When the Astani built their Rift System, they were eager to use it to explore worlds unknown. One of these worlds was a barren desert full of darkness and little else. Many explorers came to this place, but their efforts to find life turned up absolutely nothing. However, what they did find was ancient technology that held the place in eternal night; the sundial. While the sundial in this Shadow Realm was broken, forever stuck on the dark side, it gave them some insight as to what these mysterious relics were. They had long been scattered across Astara and had previously been considered only primitive methods of telling time. Now that the Astani knew that the sundials could actually move the sun and moon, they were fast to seek out and repair them wherever they could be found.

The Shadow Realm, it was decided, could be reclaimed from its desert state and used for agricultural purposes. However, as time passed, there were more and more reports of explorers and settlers seeing things moving about in the darkness of night. These rumors and myths were soon found to be grounded in fact. The first of the Shadowcreeps attacked, destroying the settlements. They turned the sundial back to night and made certain it would stay there for eternity. It was not that the Shadow Realm was uninhabited – the Astani simply did not know what they were looking for in the way of life. Life had indeed been there all along, in the form of the tiniest creatures that lived within the shadows. With so much new life force to leech off of, these creatures rapidly grew in size. By devouring the life forces of the Astani, the Shadowcreeps were able to become even more than simple shadows.

And then, there are Shadow Wraiths, the highest evolution that a shadow could ever hope to achieve. There had been many Shadow Wraiths thought out the history of the Realm, but none was held in such high esteem as Dark Yabu. He was the ultimate form of a Wraith, partly of his own achievements, and partly from pure luck.

Upon seeing that the Shadow Realm was uncontrollable, the Astani sought to return to their homes in the light. However, the Shadow Realm does not let go of its children so easily. Once one stays in the Shadow Realm for very long, they become a part of it. In order to leave, they must leave behind the part of themselves that is Shadow. These impressions – vague forms that hold only memories and a wavering shape – are known as Puppets. If a Shadowcreep comes in contact with a Puppet, there is a slight chance that it can take that Puppet into itself and take on its form.

At this point in his story, Halcyon paused. He could feel that Vexx suddenly understood where this was leading. After he had left the Realm, he had been very aware of a feeling of great loss. He had thought it was still his heart mouring the passing of his grandfather, but now he knew what the hollow feeling had truely been. Vexx had spent more than enough time in the Shadow Realm to leave behind a Puppet, and that Puppet was standing before him. Even as the world around him seemed frozen, Vexx looked at the cloaked man. He could still only see part of his face, but that was enough. The Astaran jaw line, the toothy grin. It was like a dark mirror.

Halcyon explained further that the reason he was so hard to actually see was that he was still partly shadow. It was not that his face was concealed, the darkness actually was his face. That would soon change. A Shadow Wraith has to withstand many trials before they can achieve their full strength. Dark Yabu had accomplished this goal when he defeated Treyvn, the previous owner of the Astani War Talons. The Wraith can only gain its full power by finding the one whose Puppet they possess and then consuming the rest of that person's life essence.

Vexx wanted to know what it was Halcyon planned to do. Surely one does not strive to achieve their full powers without having some kind of a plan behind it. Once more, Halcyon seemed to hear the thought and answered it.

The Astani had shattered Astara into many fragments. Such a world was never meant to exist. Halcyon would remedy this. He planned to use the remains of the Astani technology to rebuilt Astara. He would pull the pieces back together and mend that which had been destroyed. Only by making the world whole again could the balance be restored.

And in order for all of this to be achieved, Vexx had to die.

Vexx tried to protest. However, their time was up. The deafening sound of the battle rushed back to his ears. The world lurched back into motion. A dark power blast consumed his vision. There was searing pain and then…

Nothing.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

The dark clouds in the sky swirled and crackled with lightning. All eyes were fixed in terror upon the Shadow Wraith as he stood upon the hillside, gripping the sides of his head and howling like a thousand winds. His form shifted and twisted, becoming nothing more than shadows in the darkness. Finally, he reformed into his full Shadow Wraith state. He appeared Astaran in general form and stature. His fur was the color of ash. Jet black hair and two sets of twisted white horns framed his face. His hands slid out from the long sleeves of his shadow robe and he held them toward the sky. Silver tipped each finger, a graceful hybrid of metal and flesh, imitating the War Talon design and refining it. His forearms were metal as well, formed from many interlocking plates like dragon scales. His lips twisted in a smirk. The smirk gave way to laughter, loud and victorious, baring sharp fangs. His fierce blue eyes opened to look upon the armies before him. "It is done!" his voice boomed out over the battlefield.

The shadow creatures celebrated by quickly launching back into the attack. As chaos erupted again, no one noticed the figure who had quickly circled up around the side of the hill.

Gly stayed low, still disbelieving of what he had seen. There had been a great blast of power, a cry from Vexx. He looked up in time to see the warrior slam into the side of the sundial tower wall and then fall to the ground. Now the Shadow Wraith was declaring victory. Gly shook his head as he approached the form of the warrior. The Shadow Wraith was only a stone's throw away with his back turned.

"Vexx," Gly breathed in a panic, trying to keep his voice down. He came to his knees. He rolled the crumpled form of Vexx onto his back. The warrior's face was badly bruised. Eyes closed, his mouth was open slightly, jaw slack. Working feverishly and with trembling hands, Gly checked the neck for a pulse. He put a hand to the man's mouth in search of breath. He finally pushed aside the chainmail vest and pressed his ear to Vexx's chest. There was a tense moment. Gly held his breath as he stayed there, trying desperately to hear a pulse, to feel any sign of life.

There was nothing.

"No," Gly whispered, closing his eyes. He repeated, louder now, "No! Vexx, no! No!" He screamed in the lifeless face of his friend, "No, you can't die! Get up! Get up, please!"

Nothing.

"No," Gly breathed a final time. An ice cold chill ran over his body and settled in his heart. Slowly he turned his head. His body followed and he stood. Golden eyes locked on the Shadow Wraith's back. Gly's feet moved reluctantly for the first couple of steps. Momentum was easy to pick up after that. Moving into a full on charge, Gly hardly paused as he stooped to pick up the fallen sword of a guard. He pulled back the blade, clutching it with both hands.

Halcyon's long ear twitched. He spun about in time to see a sword swinging to cleave his head off. The Shadow Wraith leaned back and away from the blow, barely avoiding it. Gly swung again and again, hacking at the man and screaming with rage. Halcyon smirked. "Well this is a surprise. From his memory fragments, I was under the impression that no one would miss him."

Gly's mind was running rampant with demands and questions and curses he wanted to throw at this man. None of it surfaced in the way of words. Instead it all came out as enraged screams. Above all, his mind was completely focused on the loss of someone he loved and on avenging that death.

Piercing blue eyes met with his gaze and Gly drew in his breath sharply. "Vexx," he breathed in disbelief as he saw an echo of the warrior in Halcyon's features. In a swift motion, the Wraith disarmed Gly. The sword flew end over end, and Gly watched it with sinking dismay. He didn't see the next attack coming. He only felt the searing pain of the dark energy blast that plowed him over.

A battle axe swung through the hoards of night creatures. The voice of Giles boomed out over the battle field like a thunder clap, "Glyyyyyy!" Everything in his path was quickly felled as the blacksmith hurried to his son's aid.

The only thing that spared him was the fact that Halcyon's powers had not fully recharged after his battle with Vexx. Barely conscious, Gly blinked his eyes open. He found himself staring sideways across the ground, the fallen figure of Vexx squarely in his field of view. He watched in a daze, hardly able to comprehend what he was seeing.

The Astani War Talons leapt to life. Glowing with their blue energy, they moved of their own accord to rest upon the warrior's chest. There was a humming sound before the Talons shot energy into Vexx's body. A pause, and then another energy blast. Vexx's back arched and fell again with each attempt. A finally time the Talons sent a jolt through him, and suddenly the warrior's eyes snapped open. A gasp, a cough, and a shudder. Vexx's head rolled to the side, half open eyes locking on Gly. His gaze then moved beyond the man.

Halcyon.

Slowly, painfully, Vexx brought himself back to his feet.

"No," Halcyon stepped toward him with conviction. "I killed you. I ate your life essence! How is this possible?"

Fixing him with an unsteady gaze, Vexx made a confused grunting sound and gave an airy shrug. He'd just had his soul pulled back from some dark place, how was he to be expected to know what in the world was going on?

"How is this possible?" Halcyon demanded again. "You were dead! What are you doing? How dare you interfere! This is fate, why can you not understand that? The world must be mended!" The Shadow Wraith's ear twitched once more. Giles gave a great battle cry as he swung his axe. Halcyon twisted away, stumbling back amid the bombardment of swings. His foot caught Gly's leg and he tumbled backward.

The world froze. Halcyon found himself leaning upon Vexx. One war Talon was fixed on his forehead, and he could feel the other resting under his back. As before, their minds were connected. This time, it was Vexx who was controlling it. Calmly, he explained to Halcyon that there are two sides to every story, and that the man needed to hear the other side before he made such rash choices.

Yes, it was true that the Astani had laid waste to Astara. The world was shattered, but even in the wake of such a disaster, life remained. The inhabitance of the world found ways to live on. New species had emerged, new tribes, new cultures, new environments. In his travels through the rifts, Vexx had encountered many different kinds of people, and he showed a sampling of them to Halcyon. He then posed a question. Could these places and people have developed if Astara were a single, solid form? How does one merge desert and ice and jungle and water into one entity? Even if such a thing were possible to do, there would have to be a certain balance and placement for each piece in order to keep them from blending into and destroying each other.

Halcyon had to admit that he did not know what this formation was, but was hasty to add that he would search for the answer before he attempted to rejoin the land masses.

Vexx posed his next question. How does one rejoin a shattered world? What force holds together pieces of land?

Energy, Halcyon replied.

What sort of energy? What was it made of? Once broken, could it be repaired? And even if it could be, at what cost?

Halcyon's gaze moved across the hand that was so close to his eyes. He couldn't actually see the scare across the metal fingers at such close range, but he knew it was there. It served as an example of what Vexx meant.

To the surprise of the Shadow Wraith, Vexx suddenly apologized to him. The warrior did not know how to control these powers he was using, and so all of his thoughts were easy for Halcyon to hear and see into as he elaborated. He showed as well as told Halcyon of the circumstances under which he had entered the Shadow Realm in search of Dark Yabu. It had been a very painful time in his life, driven entirely by rage, vengeance, and a strong desire to repair what had been broken. He told Halcyon that he believed that all of these emotions had been strongly present in the Puppet he left in the Realm. Halcyon was born of those emotions, the desire to restore a balance, and willingness to kill any who stood in the way of that goal.

Halcyon insisted that none of that mattered. His cause was still noble. Astara had to be restored to its former state.

Vexx posed his final debate. Where did the Shadow Realm fit into the whole of Astara? Sundials only worked because of the fractured state of the world, each contained in its own Rift. Where multiple sundials were present, they functioned in unison. Would the Shadow Realm be willing to pass through day and night along with the rest of Astara?

Halcyon retorted that the whole of Astara would join them in eternal darkness.

Vexx quickly replied that such a thing was not restoring the balance. If all of Astara were plunged into darkness, it would achieve nothing. Creatures of the light would pass from the world in mass extinctions. Darkness can not exist without light. Joining Astara and the Shadow Realm as a whole could never restore balance. Ultimately, it would only mean the destruction of both worlds.

He hated to admit it. He didn't want to admit it, but Halcyon knew that Vexx was right. Vexx could see his thoughts as well. Vexx sent to him a final plea, asking that he be allowed to attempt to restore the balance of things, in his own way. Halcyon agreed.

As soon as this thought passed between them, the world lurched back into motion. Halcyon gasped as the War Talon on his back sank into the flesh. "Why?" he growled out. He didn't actually need to ask. He would have done the same thing. The fact still remained that he had tried to kill Vexx first. To be fair, he had succeeded in doing so. Halcyon knew he could never feel complete until Vexx was gone from the world. He would never be content to simply live as the man's shadow. The warrior must have sensed this.

Vexx helped Halcyon stand as the man struggled for breath. Giles moved in for the kill. Vexx signaled for him to stop. Supporting the Shadow Wraith, Vexx moved carefully to the edge of the hill, overlooking the battlefield. "Cease battle," Halcyon managed to shout out, having to pause afterward to catch his breath again. "Cease battle!" He shouted once more. Utterly baffled, the shadow creatures subdued their opponents as best and as hastily as they could. Hundreds of eyes lifted to look at their master.

Halcyon gave a sidelong glance to Vexx. "It's up to you to convince them." The Wraith set his hand on the back of Vexx's neck. One final time, the warrior could hear and feel Halcyon's thoughts. They were a jumble of chaos and anger through the pain, but a single kind feeling shone through the darkness. Vexx reached for it with his mind and was completely astonished at where it led him.

The Shadow Wraith coughed and brought in his breath sharply. He spoke again, hesitant, suddenly very unsure as his blue eyes blinked out across the battlefield. "Ahh… ah… I…." he coughed.

In their joined mind, Halcyon encouraged Vexx to continue.

"I…" Halcyon's voice rose in volume, "I am calling off this assault. This is not the way!" A collective sound of confusion washed over the hoards, baffled at this sudden change. "Yes, the balance must be restored, but not like this. There are another means. We are defeated this day- night!" he corrected.

In his mind, Halcyon was laughing at him, telling him that he was not being very convincing thus far. Vexx retorted quickly that his own body was incapable of speech, so this was his first time actually talking to anyone. He left Halcyon to marvel at this concept and continued using the Wraith's voice and body to deliver his message.

"We are defeated this night, but that does not mean that all is lost." Vexx paused, struggling to think like a shadow creature. "We want our darkness. We wish not to be forced into hiding in corners of the world with so little time in which we can roam freely. The Astarans hold back the sun out of fear of us." A roar came over the crowd, as if they were ready to attack again after hearing this. Vexx's body took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. "Fear is not the way to control anything. Instead I am proposing peace." Utter bafflement returned to the hoards. "We can come to… a unified understanding. Do not attack this place any longer. We will sta-- I mean, they." A sigh. "They. They will stay in their village and at the Rift Hub. We will keep to our forests, our caves, our dark places. They will allow the sun its natural cycle, and we will allow them their lives. What say you to this?"

It was instantly very clear that the shadow creatures had no idea what to say at all. Halcyon reminded Vexx that his rule over them was absolute, not a democracy. Vexx added forcefully, "This is what I order. So long as we each keep to our own respective territories, and the sun and moons are allowed their natural course, there shall be peace between us. The village guardian who dwells in the forest will be the only exception. He will serve as the point of communication between our peoples, should there be any conflict. He will be consulted and the matter dealt with civilly before we declare war again. Such is the order… of Halcyon."

The connection was severed. Vexx felt a painful sting on the back of his neck. Halcyon held him fast. "Well done," he whispered, "You had best uphold your end of the bargain. You're the ones with something to lose if you don't."

Vexx nodded slightly, wincing. The shadows about Halcyon's feet were wavering, starting to disperse like steam. The Wraith lifted his head and called out, "Return to your homes. This is my final place of rest." To Vexx's surprise, a sound of disbelief and mourning washed over the shadow creatures. Some instantly fled, others lingered, devastated. The Astarans gathered themselves again, quickly seeing to the fallen.

Halcyon's hand shot out, gripping the repaired Astani War Talon tightly. Vexx cried out and tried to pull away, only to be jerked closer by the back of his neck. "Do not think I pass from this world willingly," Halcyon growled in the warrior's face, drawing in his breath sharply between statements. "I have half a mind to take you with me. But you tricked me into agreeing… that I would let _you_ restore balance. So I shall." Vexx suddenly felt the burning pain of melted metal on his hand. He screamed and tried to escape again, amazed at how strong the Wraith was, even in his last moments. Halcyon finally released him, shoving him to the ground. Vexx gripped his hand to his chest, watching as molten metal moved over the War Talon as if alive. It wove its way under the ugly steel scar, chipping it away and taking its place.

"If I can not take you with me," Halcyon lifted a hand, showing that his talon fingertips were gone, "You will take a part of me with you." As his form was wavering away into nothingness, he added, "Then you will never forget." Halcyon was gone, dissipating in a cloud of wavering black smoke.

Vexx let his head fall against the ground. His head turned to the side, watching Giles as the man held the unconscious form of his son in his arms. Standing behind the blacksmith was someone Vexx did not expect to see. Kiri. Looking dazed, she leaned heavily on the door to the sundial tower. Karik stood beside her, his arm about her shoulders protectively. Her eyes locked on Vexx with the same terror he remembered seeing in her from their childhood. It was as if he were nothing more than a wild animal in her eyes once more.

He turned his gaze to the sky and slowly let his eyes close.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Warm sunlight was on his face. The scent of herbs and a faint hint of smoke lingered in the air. He knew even before he was fully awake that this meant he was in the healer's house. He could hear the wooden wind chimes clattering in the breeze outside, warding off any evil spirits that may do harm to the patients. His head was lying on a soft pillow, a warm blanket was tucked up to his chest. He shifted his sore muscles and then stopped himself. Someone was holding his hand.

Vexx opened his eyes and brought himself fully into the waking world. He stared up at the thatched ceiling for a time, unsure if he should move. The room was silent. Carefully he turned his head.

Sitting on the floor was Gly. His eyes were closed, his head resting on the edge of the bed upon his folded arm. He looked a mess from the battle, bruised and bandaged. Vexx imagined that he looked no better off himself. Gly's hand was lightly wrapped about Vexx's shield hand as he slept. Vexx blinked sharply at this and tried to sit up a little. The pain in his back warned him to not move. He lay still.

A movement caught his attention. Kiri was standing in the doorway, leaning her shoulder upon the door frame, just the same as she had been the night before. She and Vexx looked at each other in silence for a time, each trying to read what the other was thinking, but to no avail. Kiri finally whispered, "He hasn't left your side," she nodded to Gly. "Not for a moment. I told him he'll hurt himself sleeping like that, but… he's stubborn." She pressed her lips together tightly and cast her gaze on the floor.

Vexx looked away as well, returning his eyes to the ceiling. He expected that she would leave now. No doubt she was just here to make sure that Gly was doing alright. After all, _someone _had to look after that fool. She seemed a perfect candidate.

Much to Vexx's surprise, Kiri instead moved to his bedside. Kneeling on the opposite side of the bed from Gly, she fixed Vexx with a stern look that made him fear he was in for the lecture of his life. He knew he owed her an apology. The warrior flinched back as Kiri's hand moved toward his face. She paid it no mind as she pushed his ragged hair back away from his cheeks.

She whispered to him sternly, "Don't you _ever_ do that again." Vexx wanted to tell her that he never meant to attack her, that is had been a mistake on his part. Her firm gaze from before melted away, and Vexx realized that the whole reason it had been there to begin with was to dam back the tears that she knew were coming. Biting her lip, Kiri took hold of his sword hand. "Don't you ever scare me like that again. You're not allowed to die, do you hear me?"

Suddenly this conversation had shot off in a totally different direction and Vexx felt lost in the wake of her words. He nodded once for lack of anything else he could think to do. With a quiet sob, Kiri rested her forehead on the back of his War Talon.

The warrior's gaze returned to the ceiling. He'd found himself with someone holding each of his hands. _Holding his hands._ It had been so long since he knew such a feeling. He could feel Kiri's tears fall onto his wrist. He closed his eyes and joined her in her weeping, silent as ever.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

There was really much debate to be had about weeding before or after irrigation. On the plus side, the mud made it easier to pull up the pesky plants. On the down side… well, there was _mud_. Vexx sat back and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. At least harvest was coming soon. Then weeding would be the least of his worries. He was tempted to just throw the idea out now and let the things do whatever they wanted. It wasn't as if the weeds could get very big before the first frost anyway. Still, after the neglect that his herb garden had suffered while he was recovering, he figured that he needed to put all the effort he could into things to get a decent harvest now. He did want to have a reasonable amount of tea over the winter, so work it was.

The sound of footsteps caught his attention. Vexx sat up, catching sight of a figure moving between the trees. Kiri approached, lifting her skirts as she moved though the tall grasses. Her gaze lifted to lock on him. "Hello," she said, a bit doubtful sounding. "I, uhm, wanted to come check in on you." She ducked under a branch, only to rise up and hit her head on a basket that hung from the tree.

"Oh my goodness," she steadied the withered old basket with both hands. Inside there was an assortment of shiny stones that Vexx had collected. When Kiri noticed the markings and talismans hanging from it, she realized that it was an offering basket for spirits and quickly let go of it. "Uhm, sorry, Vargas," she said to the man it was no doubt dedicated to. She turned around and promptly ran into another, much newer basket. This one held a black stone, a small piece of scrap metal, and an animal horn. "I'm sorry, I'm so clumsy," Kiri said, distancing herself from the tree carefully. She gazed at the second basket for a moment before looking to Vexx. "Is that one… for Halcyon?"

Vexx hesitated a minute before nodding.

Kiri gave the basket a final glance before she moved closer to the warrior. "I've never been out here before." Her gaze moved across the many small gardens that dotted Vexx's sunlit corner of the world, finally falling to his tiny house wedged in the shade between the trees. "It's nice. Very quiet."

Vexx nodded again and came to his feet, trying to dust mud from his knees to no avail. He plucked a few leaves from a plant and started to chew on them. When Kiri gave him a questioning look over this, he offered her one of the sweet smelling leaves. She took it from his hand with no hesitation, but much curiosity. There was a silence between them as they each chewed the sweet herbs.

"Ahden came back," Kiri said suddenly. "He found a place that considered the sundial evil magic. They were more than happy to let him take it away to Dragonreach. They even helped him move it." Vexx gave an airy nod.

"You are… doing well?" Kiri asked. Vexx nodded. Kiri nodded as well. "Your hand?" she asked. He held up his shield hand, showing that it looked flawless as before. He flexed the fingers and then folded his hands together to show her that it didn't hurt at all anymore. Halcyon had succeeded in repairing one thing that had been fractured. Kiri nodded to him. "Good. Very good."

The awkwardness of the whole conversation was too much for the warrior. He made a motion that could possibly be taken as a sign that he wanted her to follow and started walking toward his house. They were only a few steps away from the garden when Kiri suddenly took him by the elbow, stopping him. "Vexx, I have to talk with you." He faced her fully and she held on to his hand while she spoke. "I want you to know that I'm not angry with you. I know why you did what you did. Look, all of my wounds have healed. I doubt if they'll even scar. You have nothing to feel guilty about. Will you please stop avoiding me now?"

The warrior's gaze darted away across the ground and he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He didn't know that she had noticed such things. It was actually a little scary how well she could read him. He looked back to her sheepishly and nodded.

Kiri breathed a sigh of relief. "Good. I'm glad that nonsense is over with." She didn't let go of his hand as she smiled kindly. He returned the smile. To his surprise, she suddenly scooped him up in a tight hug. To her surprise, he returned the hug as well.

"I know it was you," she whispered, "The one who told the shadow creatures that we will live in peace. You said all of that, not him. Didn't you?" The tenseness that shifted in his shoulders was all the answer she needed. He never expected that anyone would know it had been him speaking through the Wraith. He really didn't know what to make of it. She moved back a step, holding both of his hands carefully. "Your words were beautiful. I know you were still wary of such a plan. Thank you for doing it anyway. It means a lot to me."

Vexx gave her a shy smile.

"I expect that you will be at the harvest festival?"

The warrior looked doubtful.

"Oh, please?" Kiri asked him, moving so that he had to look at her pleading eyes. "It would mean a lot to me if you were there. Please?" Fixed with such a look, Vexx found himself giving in and agreeing to go. Kiri smiled broadly. "Good. I'll have to cook something special just for you!"

A sudden call came from not far off. "Vexx!" The warrior looked up sharply, seeing Gly running their direction. Vexx took a step away from Kiri, moving to meet Gly and find out what was happening that had him running through the forest like a madman.

He was caught completely off guard when the man suddenly pounced upon him and Kiri, pulling them with him to the ground upon each arm. Vexx gave a surprised squeak when he tumbled onto the grass. The laughter from his two friends set his mind at ease that he hadn't accidentally injured anyone. Kiri started shoving and lecturing Gly about just jumping on people, a giggle still in her tone all the while. They all three fed off of each other's laughter until their sides ached and faces hurt from smiling. The uproar died down to the few lingering giggles and snorts.

Something occurred to Vexx then. There were many things that the Astani had destroyed, and he had long ago placed his life on that list of things. He realized that this didn't have to be true. There is always some way to repair that which needs mending. He had just given up searching for it. He rolled onto his stomach to face Kiri and Gly. He carefully took each of their hands in his. As they held his hand in return, he realized that he really didn't have to be alone. They would be there for him, and likewise, he for them. They were the most important people in his life now. They were his friends.

A balance had been restored.

-End_  
_

_A huge thanks to everyone who has read this far. This is the first story I've completed in years and it was a blast to write. Thanks for reading and reviewing! -GiNA  
_


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